Colts Open Selective Recruiting Invitational With 4-1 Win Over Mater Academy
Having faced only one team with a winning record all season, the Coral Springs Colts knew coming into the Selective Recruiting Invitational tournament that they would learn a lot about their state title hopes over the next week. Their first test came Monday afternoon against Mater Academy. The teams came into the game with a combined 13-2 record, and it was the Colts who came out on top 4-1.
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The game had more of a showcase feel as the two teams took batting practice on the field before the game for the more than 50 scouts in attendance. The scouts had their eyes focused on two players, Lewis Brinson of Coral Springs and Albertico Almora of Mater Academy. The two players are both expected to be high draft choices in the upcoming Major League draft, but neither figured prominently in this one.
Instead it was Coral Springs pitchers Brett Schneider and Dalton Wolchik who stole the show. Schneider went the first four innings, allowing only three hits and one run. In the fifth, Schneider turned the ball over to Wolchik, the Colts’ closer, who proceeded to throw three innings of one-hit ball and secure the win for Coral Springs.
Jordan Gleicher was out at first on this play, but it was the Colts who scored the 4-1 victory on the day.
What Schneider and Wolchik were to the Colts on the mound, first baseman Alan Sharkey was to the team at the plate. Sharkey, who will be playing his college baseball at the very place the Colts played Monday (Nova Southeastern), gave the Sharks coaching staff watching the game something to get excited about.
In the third inning, Sharkey started a two-out rally with a single and scored on an Aaron Maller double to left. Then, with the score tied 1-1 in the fifth, a Sharkey single drove in Brinson, who had reached on a walk and stole second to get into scoring position. The Colts tacked on two more in the sixth on the strength of consecutive singles by Austin Nelson, Dylan Ebel and Jordan Gleicher.
“I just went out there looking for my pitch to hit, and today I got them,” said Sharkey, in describing his two singles on the day.
Schneider acknowledged that it was tough to pitch to a team who the Colts knew little about, and he explained the game plan coming in on the mound.
“I just wanted to try and keep my team in the game,” Schneider said. “I knew if I could keep their runs to a minimum, our offense would score enough runs to win the game.”
On the other side of the field, Mater experienced losing for only the second time this season, and head coach Eddie Gorrez summed up the afternoon for his squad.
“Their pitchers did a good job of keeping us off balance,” Gorriz said. “When we have bases loaded like we did in fifth, we’ve got to get those runners in. In these tournaments, you always respect your opponent, even when you don’t know them that well, and today we came out here trying to do our thing, and we just couldn’t. You’ve got to give them (Coral Springs) credit.”
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