Coral Glades Moves To The Top Of 8A-11 With 7-3 Win

The Coral Glades Jaguars have been knocking on the door in their effort to break the monopoly that Douglas and Coral Springs have shared in 8A-11 over the past decade. On an overcast Tuesday afternoon, the Jaguars may have finally busted through that door with a 7-3 victory on the road versus the Eagles.

The game featured the previously unbeaten in district play Eagles, against a Jaguars club that was just one game back going into the day. Coral Glades took an early lead in the game, but they have learned from recent history that being up early at Douglas does not always turn out to be a win. Too many times, the Jaguars have squandered leads late against the Eagles, so when the team tacked on three runs in the seventh to a lead that was only 4-3, Manager Jorge Miranda was finally able to breathe freely.

“Many a time here in this place we’ve had leads late and something happened where we lost the game,” said Miranda. “It was good to extend the lead to four at that point in the game. It gave our kids confidence going into the last inning where we had to go through the heart of their lineup.”

The four runs in the seventh came with Jacob Melton and Tyler Steiner in the middle of the rally. The Jaguars three-four hitters not only each had a hit in the seventh, but the pair were instrumental in the Jaguars producing runs all game. Combined, they went 5-for-6, with three doubles and two walks.

“All week in practice we just worked on off-speed stuff,” said Steiner. “For me today, I just really wanted to get out of my own head today. I went up there and just reacted to what was thrown, and Jacob did the same. He had a great game today.”

For Miranda, it wasn’t the three hits that impressed him with Steiner’s afternoon, but rather the at-bat where he didn’t make contact.

“I think his best at-bat today was his walk that he worked. After falling behind 0-1, they kept throwing change-ups and curve balls the entire at-bat, and a couple days ago he would have been going after those. Today, he laid off them, and was disciplined at the plate, and the results were great for him.”

While the Jaguars offense was busy piling up the runs late, starter Christian Dominguez had to work most of the day without room for error. Coral Glades never had a lead of more than two runs until the final frame, leaving Dominguez to navigate time after time through one of the better offenses in the county. On the day, Dominguez went the distance, allowing only six hits and two earned runs.

“Our original plan wasn’t even to start him today,” said Miranda. “But we went with him, and he made me look like a genius (chuckling). He deserved this win today, he did a really good job against a good hitting team.”

The Eagles had their chances against Dominguez, putting runners on in six of the seven innings. Overall, Douglas stranded eight runners, something Manager Todd Fitz-Gerald had not seen much of in the team’s strong 7-1 start.

“They outplayed us in every facet,” said Fitz-Gerald. “They hit better. They pitched better. We hadn’t really dealt with much adversity this season, so games like this are sometimes good for you. My hat goes off to Jorge. He had his guys ready to go, and the better team won the game today.”

In addition to Melton and Steiner, Coral Glades also got two hits apiece from Alex Lara, TJ Williams, and Dominguez. Bryan Keeper added two runs for the Jags.

The Eagles got a big day from Daniel Ruiz, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, a double, and two RBIs.

The win by Coral Glades tightens up one of the closest district races in the county. Douglas and Coral Glades are tied for the district lead at 5-1, while Coral Springs and Taravella are only one game back at 4-2. All four teams will have to face one another in the second-half of the season, and Fitz-Gerald knows it is going to be a fight to the finish.

“We all are going to see each other one more time,” said Fitz-Gerald. “No matter how it shakes down, come district time, it is not going to be easy for any of us to get out of this district.”

The Eagles will start the second half of district play Thursday at home against Deerfield Beach and the Jaguars will do the same at South Plantation.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!