West Broward Advances With Walk-Off Win Over Columbus

Isaiah Del Valle delivered a one-out RBI single in the bottom of a wild seventh inning and West Broward walked off with a 7-6 win over Columbus in a regional semifinals game on Friday.

Del Valle ripped a line drive to center field, scoring Michael Manocchio with the winning run, which capped an eventful seventh inning in which the two teams combined for seven runs on eight hits.

The game was tied, 3-3, heading into the seventh inning after Columbus rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a three-run fifth inning. The Explorers scored three more runs in the top of the seventh inning to grab a 6-3 lead. But West Broward (22-5-1), ranked #4 in Broward, recorded its sixth consecutive win with a four-run rally in the bottom half of the inning.

Consecutive singles to open the inning from Ethan Lindor, Adrian Bermudez and Jason Wachs made it a 6-4 game, and the Bobcats were on their way to the improbable comeback. Manuel Sarcos tied the game with a one-out, two-run double and an intentional walk to Ivan Sabater set the stage for Del Valle’s walk-off single.

The Bobcats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Wachs belted a two-run homer to right field in the first inning. They extended it to 3-0 in the fourth on an RBI-double by Reggie Rodriguez.

But Columbus (20-6), ranked #5 in South Dade, fought back in the fifth inning to tie the game. An RBI-single by Aquiles Arzeno plated Maximus Alvarez. Zahir Barjam then singled home Jason Garcia, and the Explorers pulled off a double steal with Arzeno swiping home on the back end to knot it at 3.

The Explorers grabbed the lead with a two-out surge in the top of the seventh. RBI doubles from Franklin Francisco and Rene Ramirez, along with a run-scoring single by Jose Correa gave Columbus a 6-3 advantage before the Bobcats answered in the bottom half.

Sabater started on the mound for West Broward and worked four strong innings, striking out six while allowing just two hits. Bermudez pitched the final three innings to pick up the win in relief. He struck out two and walked just one while yielding four hits.

Columbus starter Jason Vasquez pitched well over 5.2 innings, striking out four while giving up just four hits.

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