Dwyer Wins Second Consecutive Shutout With 1-0 Victory Over Boca Raton

Dwyer’s Jamal Martin faces Boca’s Matt Alen. Martin was 2-for-3 and scored the game’s only run.

If it were horseshoes or hand grenades, then Boca Raton would be right where it wants to be.

For the second time this season, the Bobcats found themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision Monday night, falling to Dwyer in a non-district contest played at Dwyer High in Palm Beach Gardens.

“We’re not losing by much. We just need a couple of good hits and then we win those games,” Bobcats starting pitcher Matt Alen said. “We can compete with these teams. We just need to keep sticking through and stay positive.”

Neither squad was able to produce much offense on Monday, as the pitchers locked into a duel and limited their opponent’s opportunities.

For the Panthers (4-1), it was junior standout Cheyne Bickell tossing the team’s second consecutive shutout following Dwyer’s big 10-0 district win over Jupiter last week.

Coming off such a momentous and emotional victory, Dwyer coach Frank Torre was concerned that his players would have trouble refocusing so quickly for Monday’s game.

“I knew it would be tough to be there mentally, and we were a little off at the plate tonight,” Torre said. “Luckily for us, Cheyne made up for it.”

Dwyer’s Bradley Emery (number 18) prepares to face Boca starter Matt Alen.

Bickell was dominant and in command, needing only 88 pitches in picking up the complete-game victory to improve to 2-1.

Sixty-four of Bickell’s pitches found the strike zone, resulting in 10 strikeouts while limiting Boca to only three hits and no free passes.

“Our approaches are getting better at the plate, but [Bickell] pitched an excellent game,” Bobcats coach Jeff Rosa said. “We are disappointed by the losses, but we’re still upbeat. These wins will come and we have not folded up our tents just yet.”

The Bobcats (3-3) had their best scoring chance in the top of the third inning. Ryan Kasemeyer reached on a throwing error and Mike Smicklas followed with a bloop single to left-center field to put runners on the corners. But Bickell recorded a swinging strikeout to escape the threat.

“Cheyne got ahead of everyone tonight, and he can throw all three pitches for strikes,” Torre said. “Defensively, we made all the plays.”

Boca’s Jake Spooner (number 20) warms up with his teammates prior to facing Dwyer.

Alen was equally impressive in keeping the Bobcats in the game, tossing 52 of his 85 pitches for strikes while scattering six hits and recording four strikeouts with only one walk allowed.

“My fastball was on tonight, but my off-speed pitch wasn’t working early on,” Alen said of his performance. “I went to the change-up later, and that started working for me, too.”

The lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the first inning. Senior center fielder Jamal Martin had a two-out single, then stole second and third, and came in to score on an RBI single by Tim Lynch.

Martin finished 2-for-3, adding a double in the sixth inning.

The Panthers threatened again in the fourth when senior Patrick Pinak crushed a one-out double to deep center field and shortstop Hunter Hope followed with a single to put runners on the corners.

But the Bobcats turned to their stout defense to escape the jam, using an impressive pickoff play to catch courtesy-runner Marcus Garbounoff at third base. Alen came off the rubber and faked a throw to first base, then turned and rifled the ball to the waiting third baseman instead.

“That was a pretty good play. I have never even seen that play, actually,” Torre admitted. “They are a well-coached team. Their pitcher made good pitches and they hung in there. We just did what we had to do to get the win.”

Dwyer has allowed only one run in its four victories this season, with its one blemish being a lopsided shutout loss to Palm Beach Central.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!