Steven Revilla’s Solo HR Leads West Broward Past Nova

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A meeting between two equal foes produced a result that came right down to the final pitch on Thursday night, as visiting West Broward jumped ahead early and then held on late to win 3-2 over the Nova Titans.

Steven Revilla helped jump-start things in the top of the first, and later added his biggest contribution on a solo home run to left field in the fifth inning that was the difference.

Playing the first of a five-game stretch on the road, the Bobcats (3-1) appreciated the opportunity to play a tough road venue.

Manager Gregg Bennis especially liked the way his guys responded after the club has dealt with weather issues that have limited their practice and playing time thus far this season.

“It’s our first test at a good opponent out of district,” Bennis said. “It’s hard to get a feel for how the guys are going to perform when it is not a common opponent. Most of these guys have never played Nova before and they do not know the tradition of this program. I think for me having grown up playing high school baseball down here it may be a bigger win for me than it is for them. I played a lot of games on this field and Nova was my bitter rival, so I don’t think these guys know what they just did for me.”

Perhaps no one was more locked in to the action than Steven Revilla, who reached base all four plate appearances while going 2-for-2 and also drawing a walk. With one out in the fifth the senior connected on a 1-2 offering and sent it sailing over the left field fence to increase his team’s lead.

“He started me off with curveballs early and I took that as a sign of respect,” Steven Revilla said. “The pitch before I hit it out was a curveball and I fouled it off. So I was sitting back on another curveball, but he threw me a fastball and he left it high. I was able to turn on it and get good wood on it, and it went out.”

The Bobcats manufactured two runs in the top of the first to stake starter Anthony Molina with a lead before he ever even took the mound. Steven Revilla was hit by a pitch, stole second and then scored on a hit-and-run that drew the defense out of position at the right moment to allow Julian Burgess to line an RBI single to left field. Nicholas Nystrom then drew a walk to put runners on the corners, and Nystrom drew a throw from the pitcher that gave Burgess the chance to race home and put West Broward up with a 2-0 advantage.

“The first inning killed us,” Nova manager Pat McQuaid said. “We made some mistakes after that but were able to get out of some jams. It was a good high school game but we just had too many mistakes. The kids grew up as the game went along, which was good. We’ll just have to see how much we grow up as the season goes on.”

Staked with a lead, Molina did his part from there by tossing four shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four. Lefty Greg Carlton took over from there, working his way through some tough jams while preserving the lead. The Titans (4-1) threatened with two men in scoring position in the sixth after James Spatafora singled up the middle and Zach Henry walked. Carlton got a big strikeout to quell that threat.

“There was a lot of adrenaline going through me and my heart was beating really fast,” Carlton recalled. “I was just trying to stay closed and take my team to victory. I came up short in the end, but I had my friend Schoonover to come out and deal. When we won everyone in the dugout was jumping up and down and it felt amazing.”

Nova refused to go quietly, as the Titans ended the shutout and got the tying run into scoring position in the bottom of the seventh. Daniel Hubert singled through the left side to start it off, Gabriel Paulson reached on error and then Scott Shaw was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases. A passed ball brought Hubert in and, after Matthew Patella was also hit by a pitch to reload the bases, a wild pitch allowed Paulson to also score.

West Broward then went with veteran Ryan Schoonover to face the Titans’ best hitter. The senior right-hander prevailed in a tough, seven-pitch at bat that finally resulted in a strikeout that ended the contest.

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