Emery, Hope Catapult Dwyer to 10-0 Win Over Jupiter

Hunter Hope went 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBI.

The official separating line of Donald Ross Road could not even contain the anticipation and the build-up of Jupiter vs. Dwyer. The schools are within a 10-mile radius of one another, and the cities the schools are in are divided by Donald Ross.

However, even a road as big as Donald Ross could not stand in the way of these monumental programs. And on Friday night, they had the opportunity to showcase their talents.

“It’s a huge rivalry,” head coach Frank Torre said. “It was something I have been waiting for as a coach. Especially after a sub-par performance on Tuesday night, it was important for us to come out and play.”

It was those sentiments and eagerness that made this match-up even more exciting. With both teams needing to win, they matched up their aces as Callahan Brown took the mound for Jupiter while Dwyer countered with Bradley Emery. With power pitchers on the mound, runs should have been at a premium. However, Dwyer did not get the message as they used three home runs to run-rule Jupiter 10-0.

The Panthers’ offense got on the board early as it capitalized on Brown’s struggles. After giving up a single to load the bases, Brown walked in the first run of the game. The damage did not end there as the next batter, Hunter Hope, crushed a hanging curve ball over the left-field fence to give the Panthers a 5-0 lead.

Hope, who previously attended Jupiter, did not put extra pressure on himself. Instead, he kept within himself.

“I needed to stay calm with my approach at the plate,” Hope said about the added pressure of playing his old squad. “The last couple games I had been struggling, and this game I came out more relaxed.”

His calm demeanor manifested throughout his team. In the third inning, third baseman Tim Lynch hit a mammoth solo shot to straight-away center, which knocked Brown out of the game. Hope added an RBI single in the third to put the score at 7-0.

While the offense was scoring in bunches, left-handed starter Emery was in the zone, blowing by an explosive Jupiter offense. Through four innings, Emery had four strikeouts and had not given up a hit. Being one of a handful of players who pitches and hits leadoff, Emery showed why they slot him in the one-hole, as he took a Scott Danek fastball over the right-center fence.

Hope readies for his last at-bat.

His blast is a complement to his hard work in the batting cages despite being the team’s ace.

“I come out here early everyday,” Emery said about his routine. “I come out here at 4 o’clock for a 5 o’clock practice, get my work in pitching. I get my tee work in so I can be ready to help the team win.”

Emery showcased his hard work as he went the complete five innings, allowing one hit and recording six strikeouts while going 1-for-2 with a home run.

It was convenient that Hope’s run in the fifth inning ended the game, as he went 3-for-3 with home run, five RBI and two runs scored. Lynch added a 2-for-2 performance with a home run and two runs scored.

Despite the loss, Jupiter coach Andy Mook is positive his team will right the ship.

“We got a great group of kids who are going to be upset and be ready to go tomorrow,” Mook said. “Even if we were undefeated, we have to keep on getting better. Even if we were undefeated and we won tonight, we still have improvement to do. We are a young team, and we have to keep battling and keep working everyday.”

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