Dearman Gem Carries West Broward To 5-2 Win

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Christian Dearman threw five innings of three-hit baseball on Friday afternoon, helping the #5 West Broward Bobcats to a 5-2 win over #7 Cooper City.

The Bobcats have been one of the hottest teams in the county over the past several weeks, and have maintained a level of consistency throughout the year that few teams have been able to match. On Friday it was more of the same from West Broward, with strong pitching and a well executed offensive game plan leading the way.

“Coach really instills in us that we want to be playing our best baseball over the last eight games of the season,” said Antonio Gonzalez, who had a perfectly executed suicide squeeze in the fifth inning. “We know the playoffs are coming up, and we want to be playing well heading into the postseason.

The Bobcats were able to get on the board first in a match-up of two of the top ten ranked teams in Broward. In the second inning, an error and a walk put two runners on. Evan Stocker, who reached on the error, came around to score on a wild pitch. Brandon Jenkins drove in the second run of the inning with a single.

The two runs were the only two that Cowboys starter Joey Cutrone would give up on the afternoon. Cutrone went 2.2 innings, giving up only three hits.

In the fourth, Cooper City was able to tie the score with a pair of runs. Niko Soltaire reached on an error, and came around to score on a triple by Phillip Tomasulo. The play did not come without consequence for the Cowboys, as Soltare, their senior captain catcher, was injured in a collision at home plate. Brett Marks tied the game later in the inning with a fielder’s choice ground ball. Although the game was tied, all Cooper City Manager Wayne Stofsky could think about was his catcher.

“No matter what the outcome of the game was, I just hated seeing Niko get hurt,” said Stofsky. “He is a senior, and one of our leaders. I just hope he isn’t too badly hurt.”

West Broward took the lead for good in the fifth. Chayse Hay-Eldon singled to lead off the inning. After an out and a walk, Dalton Brockman loaded the bases with an infield hit. Stocker then delivered an RBI single, and Gonzalez squeezed in the second run of the frame for the Bobcats.

“Coach told me before the at-bat that I could swing away on the first strike, and that I would be squeezing on the second strike. So he gave me the sign, and I saw it was a curve ball, stayed back, and just put the bunt down. It was what I needed to do for the team.”

Gonzalez had only recently worked his way into the starting lineup.

“Tony has been limited in his at-bats this season,” said West Broward Manager Sergio Ambros. “He came in the game the other day against Flanagan the other night and did a good job, and I rewarded him with a start today, and he rewarded the team with his execution of what we’ve been working on in practice.”

After tacking on an insurance run in the sixth, the Bobcats closed out the win in relative ease in the seventh. It was the ninth win for West Broward in their last 11 games.

“We just work hard,” said Dearman, referencing how the team has been able to maintain its consistency. “We take every game one game at a time, and we go in to win every game. With our pitching staff, we know we are going to be in most games.”

Despite the strong run, West Broward will have to figure out a way to get by their district nemesis in #2 Flanagan. The Falcons have defeated the Bobcats twice this season, but Ambros has seen this before.

“This team reminds me a little bit of the 2012 team,” said Ambros. “They were beaten bad twice in the regular season by Flanagan that year, and we got them when it counted. With this season, I just wanted to see them close the gap from the first game, and they did that last week. Hopefully we can have a repeat of 2012 when playoff time comes.”

Cooper City, meanwhile, will head into their final week of play knowing that they will be the top seed when the 8A-12 playoffs begin.

“We have already had a great turnaround,” said Stofsky. “These kids work hard, and the system has been changed, and they are buying in. If we continue to execute and put balls in play, we will be alright.”

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