Coral Glades Edges Coral Springs 2-1 In Extras
Wednesday’s district battle was a tight and competitive contest that kept both sides on its toes.
This game belonged to TJ Williams. The poised right-hander had been locked in the zone all night long, and after his Coral Glades teammates got him the lead in the eighth inning he was focused on finishing off host Coral Springs. Williams needed just 11 pitches to put the finishing touches on his complete-game outing, inducing a ground ball for a 6-4-3 game-ending double play to lift the Jaguars past the Colts 2-1 Wednesday night in Coral Springs.
Williams pounded the strike zone with ferocity, and base runners were tough to come by. He threw 67 of his 81 pitches for strikes, leading to seven strikeouts. Williams did not walk any batters, while surrendering just two hits.
“Throwing strikes usually gets the job done,” Williams said. “I just try to take it out-by-out and try to use my defense as much as possible.”
Tied at a run apiece heading into extra innings, the Jaguars got things going after Joe Juliano singled up the middle with one out. Pinch-hitter Donovan Samuels reached on a fielder’s choice that erased the lead runner, and then advanced after Dennis Leon dropped down a bunt along the first baseline and beat the fielder to the bag for a base hit.
This rolled the lineup back over to bring up leadoff hitter Alex Lara. The shortstop battled to a full count before finding a hole through the right side for the RBI single that drove in Samuels for the deciding run.
“I had been in a slump lately, so I just wanted to put the bat on the ball and poke it somewhere,” Lara said. “I ended up doing my job and I squared up the winning run, which is good. Our defense could have been better, but finishing it off with a double play with a just-injured second baseman, that is the way to end off a close game in the eighth inning.”
Lara also accounted for his club’s other run in the fifth, after he doubled and scored on an RBI single from Michael Grey. He finished 2-for-4 and also reached base with a walk.
The contest was the district opener for both sides. The result gives new Jaguars Manager Mike Goulette his first district victory, and it is the first time Coral Springs has lost its district opener in seven years.
“This is what you play for,” Goulette said. “If you are going to come out and try to win the district these are the type of games you have got to win, and I am very proud of this group. These kids played with heart. Both of us were struggling hitting, and we made that error in the beginning of the game, but we battled back.”
Coral Glades starter TJ Williams tossed an impressive eight-inning gem, facing just one batter over the minimum.
The Colts jumped in front by manufacturing a run in the bottom of the first after Logan Turcott reached base on an error. Phil Quinn hit behind the runner with a ground ball to first base, and Tony Curry drove him home with another roller to the second baseman for the 4-3 RBI groundout.
“That error killed them and we were able to manufacture that run,” Colts Manager Frank Bumbales said. “When a guy is throwing strikes you have to swing the bats. We did swing the bat and we only took three called third strikes, but we only had two hits. That was the difference was they put the ball in play.”
Williams seemed intent to keep the bases empty for the rest of the contest. He retired 22 straight batters, facing just one batter over the minimum on the night.
The Colts got a great outing from their starter as well, as the right-hander Phil Quinn tossed seven quality frames to keep his team in the fight. Quinn allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks, and he picked up nine strikeouts. Beyond his numbers was the gritty nature Quinn approached the Coral Glades hitters, as most at bats went deep into counts.
The Jaguars have always focused on their two-strike approach, and Wednesday night showed how well the players handle it. When in that situation the batters know they have to poke the ball somewhere and put it in play.
“We tell them to just keep fighting,” Goulette said. “When they have the two-strike approach they have to keep battling and push through. This is a very young team and sometimes they get aggressive, but we teach them with two strikes that we have to battle down and try to put the ball in play. They just keep fighting and don’t stop.”
Every big swing came with two strikes on the count against the Jaguars. After many long battles against the Colts pitchers all night, Coral Glades finally had the lead late.
“I was very excited, but then right after that you have to have no emotions when you are pitching,” Williams said. “Right after that my coach sat me down in the dugout and told me to just sit there. I just sat in the dugout and stayed in my zone. My heart was pumping a little bit, but it was just another one in the books. We have another game tomorrow.”
Goulette admitted there was no question that Williams would go back out to finish things off. The team’s workhorse had a low pitch count and it was his game. Goulette joked that if he had tried to pull him, Williams likely would have tried to kill him. He wanted the ball, he got the ball and he carried his team to a victory.
Coral Glades is off to a 3-0 start, and now ices that with a district victory. The team executed on offense, defense and with its pitching Wednesday, and the guys are playing with confidence. Much of the season still lies ahead, but so far the Jaguars are following their plan and it is working.
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