Atlantic And American Heritage Clinch Tournament For Palm Beach

Sportsmanship was evident across the HSBN Preseason Tournament in 2012.

Palm Beach won the inaugural HSBN Broward/Palm Beach Challenge on Saturday after the Atlantic Eagles and American Heritage Stallions clinched the county’s seventh and eighth wins of the tournament. Atlantic won 3-1 over North Broward Prep, and American Heritage beat Coral Springs Charter 15-9. Palm Beach won the tournament with an 8-4 record over Broward.

Atlantic Holds On To Defeat North Broward Prep 3-1

On Saturday, Atlantic won what many would consider to be a sloppy affair. Much has been made early this season of the affects the new mandatory BBCOR bats would make on games, and the Eagles’ 3-1 victory over North Broward Prep was an example of how pitching and defense will be of utmost importance this season.

Of the four runs scored by the two teams, none were earned. NBP jumped out to an early lead in the first after Mack Nathanson worked a two-out walk. Designated runner Donny Peterson promptly stole second and came around to score the first run of the game on an error.

Atlantic wasted no time jumping back on top, scoring three runs in the top of the second. Three NBP errors opened the door for an RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Daniel Metz. An RBI single by Jake Wallin ended the scoring in the inning.

After the second, the pitchers for both teams took control, yielding only two hits the rest of the way. Atlantic starter Kyle Blank went three innings, allowing only an unearned run. Sam Bergita threw the final four innings for the Eagles, working out of a jam in the seventh to secure the win. Bergita had five strikeouts, and gave up only one hit in the outing. The senior was named the Player of the Game.

“We knew North Broward was a pretty good team, so we had to come out throwing strikes,” Bergita said. “Our pitching coach just told us to attack the strike zone.”

Asked about his team clinching the tournament and bragging rights for Palm Beach, Bergita was short and to the point.

“It was an honor, because we had to show that Palm Beach was better than Broward, and we did that.”

The win gave Atlantic a perfect week in terms of wins and losses, but head coach Steve Wilson understands that much work is left to be done before the season begins for real next week.

“We talk about fundamentals every day in practice, and we work on those fundamentals every day,” Wilson said. “Situational hitting is another important aspect of the game, and we have to make sure we get better at both.”

American Heritage Wins Wild Shootout 15-9 Over Coral Springs Charter

The host team in the tournament came into their game Saturday looking to get their first win of the season. Although the game at times was sloppy, the Stallions did enough to escape with a 15-9 win over Coral Springs Charter.

The game was sloppy on both sides, with nine errors being made. It was one of those games that coaches would like to forget, and Heritage head coach Carm Mazza made that point using humor when asked what he told his players after the win.

“With the weather and everything else tonight, I told them ‘Listen, our passing game wasn’t good on first down. We ran the ball pretty well. Let’s go home.'”

Heritage was patient at the plate, drawing 13 walks. Three of those walks came from lead-off hitter, and Player of the Game, Jonathan India. The freshman had two singles and three RBI to go along with the two walks, reaching base all five times he was up. India understands his role is to get on base, but he also stressed how his coaches are trying to teach him balance.

“Coach tells me to always look for my pitch, and if it’s there, hit it, so I did that tonight,” India said. “On the other hand, it is also my job to get on base, and when the pitcher’s not throwing strikes, I have no problem taking a walk.”

Coral Springs Charter also had some positives to take away from the game, even with the football score. Shortstop Stephen Kerr hit the first home run of the tournament, a three-run shot that at the time tied the game at five. The Panthers defense and pitching, however, could not keep the Stallions down, resulting in the loss. Coach Mike Higgins was disappointed with the loss, but he still is encouraged about what type of team he has this season.

“I know, and I think the kids know, that once we get it rolling, we will continue to improve every game,” Higgins said. “It’s going to take some time, but I think we’ll be alright. We fought tonight, even though we fell behind early. I think we have some confidence now going into the season that we maybe didn’t have those first two innings tonight.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!