Flanagan’s State Title Hopes Fall Short In 8-1 Loss To Jupiter

It is not the easiest of tasks to travel to Pembroke Pines to face Flanagan. The Falcons have created a legacy over the past decade by beating Palm Beach teams in this game, and then winning state titles. Jupiter was a team that had never been been this far, so the odds seemed stacked against the Warriors.

Making the task even more daunting was the home field advantage Flanagan enjoys. The short fence in center field for years has had opposing teams wide-eyed, leading to weak popups as hitters swung for the fences.

Friday, the Warriors had other ideas, slamming three home runs en route to an 8-1 win over Flanagan in a Class 8A regional final. As they had been doing all year long, Jupiter prepared to manufacture runs. Lead-off hitter Kyle Vesnesky led off the game with a walk, and Glen Casacelli laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Vesnesky to second. After a groundout, Johnny McCarthy strode to the plate in search of a two-out hit.

Playing to the park’s dimensions, McCarthy hit a fly ball to center, which carried over the center-field fence for a two-run homer. Pat Walther followed with a solo blast of his own, and suddenly, it was the Warriors, and not the Falcons, who were in control.

“We went ahead and moved a guy over to second base with a bunt, and we were looking for one run there in the first,” said Jupiter Manager Andy Mook. “That’s what we normally do, try to get a run every inning. Then with two outs, Johnny and Pat both came up big.”

Flanagan Manager Ray Evans had seen enough after the back-to-back home runs, and quickly went to his bullpen, bringing in Kharlin Sued to relieve starter Chris Rodriguez.

“In these type games you can’t wait for a guy to get into a rhythm on the mound,” said Evans. “Chris has been great for us all year, but today he didn’t have it, so we made the move early.”

The move paid off as Sued stopped the bleeding.

In the second, Flanagan cut the lead to 3-1 on a Daniel Oliveri solo shot. The run was the only one starting pitcher Kyle Keatts allowed in his four innings of work.

The Falcons kept the game close, but the wind went out of their sails in the fourth when a bases-loaded error extended the Warriors lead to 5-1.

“We were making contact most of the night, and kept telling the guys to just keep putting the ball in play, and make something happen. Keep the pressure on them to make the plays, and then that break went our way in the fourth. Those were two big runs.”

Evans agreed.

“At 3-1 we were right there,” said Evans. “Those two runs in the fourth, that makes it a different ballgame. They are a very good team with strong pitching, so once you fall behind four or five runs, it’s going to be tough, and that was the case tonight.”

Keatts worked out of one of his only jams in the fourth. Sued hit a one-out double, and Oliveri walked. The Warriors senior then zoned in, striking out AJ Munoz and getting Andres Rios to ground to third to end the threat.

In the fifth, Mook turned the ball over to Hunter Halsey, and the manager was rewarded with three innings of shutout ball.

“Our pitching has been that way all season,” said Mook. “One guy starts, and the other comes in and closes the door. It was nothing new for us to see Kyle and Hunter perform like that tonight. They both did a great job against a real strong offense. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of all these guys, they came ready to play tonight.”

While many teams deal with transfers from year to year, Jupiter has been able to keep their core players together, and that, according to the players, is the reason for their success.

“We’ve all been playing together since we were 9 and 10 years old,” Keatts said. “It’s been a goal of ours since we were kids to win the first state title in Jupiter history. Now that goal is within reach, and we need to stay focused and prepare for the next step.”

Jupiter will move on to face Lake Brantley at 1 p.m. Friday in a state semifinal.

McCarthy, who finished the game 1-for-3, with a walk and two RBIs, was one of the jubilant Warriors after the game.

“We’re just really excited,” he said. “We are going to try and take full advantage of this opportunity. Really excited to play in Jet Blue Stadium. We are a close group that’s been together in travel ball since we were nine. This is the last step we will take together, and we want to finish what we started. We’re not done yet.”

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