Cypress Bay Holds Off Western To Tie For Third in District 8A-12
Jeremy Tache didn’t have his best stuff on the mound Tuesday, but he helped his cause with an RBI single as part of his team’s six-run third inning.
After watching Brandon Cable come in during a similar situation earlier this month against Everglades, Cypress Bay coach Mike White knew the guy to call on to put out the fire Tuesday night in another district game against Western.
With Cypress Bay ahead by two runs and Western up to bat with runners on first and second and one out in the top of the fourth, Cable came on in relief of starter Jeremy Tache and struck out the next two batters to quash the threat.
Cypress Bay went on to win 10-9, holding off another Wildcats rally in the seventh, and moved into a tie with Western for the third spot in District 8A-12. Both teams are 3-3 in the district.
“We win, we’re in,” Cypress Bay coach Mike White said he told his team as a reminder to it that only the top four teams in the six-team district will advance to the district tournament in April.
But Tuesday’s win was anything but easy for the Lightning (8-6), who were needing a victory after a lackluster performance last week in the Hall of Fame Sunshine Classic. They went 1-3.
Western came out strong, building a four-run lead in the top of the first. Lucas Carman’s two-run double brought in Tyler Fitchter and Mac Hessney, and Carman scored on Ryan Gabriel’s RBI single. Max Balter bunted for a base hit and scored on Nick Flesner’s groundout.
Andrew Paredes and Casey Chayet scored for Cypress Bay in its half of the first, and Andrew Alvarez hit a home run to narrow the margin to 4-3 after the second inning.
Cypress Bay built a 9-4 advantage in the third. RBI doubles from pinch-hitter Rafael Marin and Rafael Amanau, and Tache’s RBI single keyed the outburst for the Lightning.
The Wildcats (6-5) clawed their way back in the top of the fourth, scratching out three runs. After Matt Scott scored, Carman hit another RBI double, and Max Balter also drove in a run for a base hit. Cable came in for Tache to get Cypress Bay out of the jam.
“It was a lot of pressure, but I was pumped up,” Cable said. “I wanted to get them out. My curve was working.”
White said Cable has been the team’s second starter all season and is the one he can call on in jams.
“He relishes that spot right now,” White said. “He was a big plus for us tonight.”
Cypress Bay got their final run of the night in the bottom of the fourth on Josh Serota’s sacrifice fly before Cable himself ran into trouble in the fifth as the Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs. But Cable came through again as he ended the threat with a strikeout.
The Lightning needed three pitchers in the seventh to hold off a last-ditch rally that produced two runs by Alex Balter and Hessney. Carman delivered his third hit of the night and drove in his fourth run during the rally, which ended when Amanau got Gabriel to ground out.
“It was horrible execution on our part,” Western coach Paul Barnes said. “Then there were the stupid mistakes and baserunning mistakes. We expected a close game again [Western won the first meeting 5-4], but a little more of a pitching game rather than a slugfest.”
Barnes said the Wildcats will work to improve their situational hitting with two outs and runners on.
White on the other hand was pleased with his team’s hitting, which has been absent lately. The team’s best offensive performance this season comes at a good time as the Lightning will face West Broward on Friday.
“We’ve been struggling over Spring Break with the big hits,” White said. “I told the kids once it starts, it gets contagious. It only took until the 14th game. We’ve been pitching well and playing good defense. A game like tonight’s was a big confidence builder. We’ll have to play at the same level of better to beat West Broward.”
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