Atlantic Rallies Late For 6-5 Comeback Victory Over Host Spanish River

#2 Jesse Kieffer was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs.

Atlantic coach Steve Wilson liked what he saw in his dugout.

Even after his Eagles players had fallen into an early deficit on the road against Mike Chambers, one of the best pitchers in the county, the team remained upbeat and positive. They never doubted that they could come back and win.

The optimistic enthusiasm paid off, as the Eagles scored four unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to edge host Spanish River 6-5 on Wednesday night in Boca Raton.

“The kids stayed focused the whole time and they didn’t give up,” Wilson said. “Our motto is always to get 21 outs, and to be ahead at that point. This is a very tough place to play and they are a very good ball club.”

The Eagles (3-3) won their third straight by capitalizing on several Sharks miscues with timely hitting and aggressive baserunning.

Junior Daniel Metz started the sixth-inning rally with a one-out double deep to left field, and then advanced to third after Bruce Thomas reached on an infield error. Joey Ohannesian plated both runners when he drove an offering from lefty Alex Demchak deep into the right-field gap, and then he came around to tie the game when Jesse Kieffer’s deep shot to center field was dropped.

Senior Rigo Beltran completed the Eagles’ comeback when his infield liner up the middle was misplayed, which allowed Kieffer to come around and notch the decisive run.

Demchak took the loss for the Sharks (1-3), after relieving starter Mike Chambers with one out in the sixth inning.

Spanish River’s Mike Chambers had seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Chambers’ bright start to the season continued with another impressive effort coming on the heels of his season-opening victory over defending Class 5A State Champion West Boca a week ago. The senior right-hander pounded the strike zone, throwing 68 of his 90 pitches for strikes. He consistently worked ahead in his counts and closed with seven strikeouts, walking none but hitting two batters.

“He pitched an outstanding game; early on we couldn’t get to him,” Wilson said. “He has great control and he throws his off-speed stuff so well that it makes his fastball seem even faster.”

Wilson countered by insisting that his hitters remain patient at the plate and work deeper counts, so they could get Chambers out of the game and go after the Sharks’ bullpen.

Not to be lost amidst the Eagles’ rally was the performance on the mound of left-handed reliever Sam Bergida. After senior starter Kyle Blank issued a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth, Bergida spelled him and closed out the final four frames to improve to 2-0 on the season. The senior threw 28 of 48 pitches for strikes, mixing a combination of fastballs and curve balls to limit the Sharks to a pair of singles and a scattered pair of walks.

“The curve wasn’t working tonight, so I just tried to attack with the fastball,” Bergida said. “I knew if I threw strikes the offense would back us up. There was a great tempo in the dugout and I felt more intensity after we took the lead. It feels great. This is still a rivalry and we wanted to beat them.”

Although the longtime district rivals no longer compete in the same district following this year’s realignment, it did not diminish the intensity that both squads brought to this match up Wednesday.

Spanish River took an early lead with a big four-run first inning in which it batted around the order. Senior Jesse Weinberger was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, following a pair of free passes and an infield error by Atlantic. Emerson Dresser came home on a wild pitch and Ryan Berger dropped a soft liner into shallow right field to drive in Mark Jahrsdoerfer and Weinberger.

The Sharks added to their lead in the third when Weinberger had a leadoff double and scored on another RBI single off the bat of Berger.

Atlantic got on the board in the top of the third when Beltran doubled on a deep shot that fell just inside the left-field line, driving in Ohannesian and Kieffer. Ohannesian finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.

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