Pines Charter Overcomes Early Deficit To Defeat Coral Glades

Pines Charter prevailed 8-5 Tuesday night over Coral Glades in a battle of the Jaguars.

Coral Glades got off to a hot start, but some defensive miscues, and timely hitting helped Pines Charter come out victorious.

“We knew coming in we had to play well, specially defensively, and we did the exact opposite,” Coral Glades Manager Joe Franco said. “When you give a team eight unearned runs, making five or six errors, you’re not going to beat anyone like that.”

Coral Glades got to Pines Charter in the top of the first. Max Wank put his guys on the board with a two-RBI double, and later scored on a single by Joseph Muscat to gives Coral Glades an early three-run lead. Pines Charter was able to get a run back in the bottom half of the inning to make it 3-1.

But back came Coral Glades in the top of the second inning, where they extended their lead thanks to a two-run triple by Aaron Cornieles. The five runs were more than Pines Charter starter, Maverick Medina, had given up all year. Nevertheless, Jaguars Manager Carlos Iglesias said he knew his ace would bounce back.

“He always fights, and never gives in,” Iglesias said. “I always have confidence in him that he’s going to go out there, give us everything he has, and that he was going to fight through it.”

Medina came out in the top of the third, and produced a quick 1-2-3 inning and looked to be getting in a groove. He would not surrender another run the rest of his outing.

“After the first two innings, I just thought ‘it can’t get any worse,’ so I just kept battling, Medina said. “I just wanted to give my team a chance to get back in it.”

His guys did just that in the bottom half of the third, pushing a couple runs across to make it 5-3. Pines Charter came right back in the bottom of the fourth, and loaded the bases. After an error forced a run home, up came Dylan Vega with the bases still full, and his team down one.

“I was just looking to at least drive in one to tie the game,” Vega said. “My teammates cheered on behind me, and I knew as soon as I hit it, that it was in the gap.”

With 3-2 and two out, Vega lined a bases clearing triple to left center to give his guys the lead. Vega would later score on a RBI single by Franklin Pinales Jr.

That’s all they would need, as Medina kept Coral Glades off the board through the fifth, and reliever Brandon Barcenas, retired all six batters he faced to pick up the save.

For Pines Charter, the win gets them back on track, after back-to-back losses over Spring Break, and look to pick up a district win against Ely tomorrow night.

As for Coral Glades, they look to punch their ticket to regionals with a district win over Spanish River.

“If we win, we lock up the one seed, and get to go to regionals,” said the Jaguars’ skipper. “A lot to play for on Friday, but at the end of the day, it’s just another game.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!