Royal Palm Roars Past Lake Worth 11-1 In Mercy-Rule Win

Brandon Hernandez and Brandon Houk of Royal Palm Beach discuss strategy as they prepare to face Lake Worth.

When Royal Palm Beach head coach Brian Joros talks, his players listen.

The Wildcats needed a wake-up call from Joros after coming out flat and trailing Lake Worth in the second inning before rallying for an 11-1 victory in five innings Wednesday.

“We came out uninspired,” Joros said. “We talked about playing baseball the right way, playing our kind of baseball, and they didn’t do that and it took us shaking them up a little bit.

“We discussed that if we did not start playing baseball and improve the intensity, there would be consequences the following day at practice.”

Lake Worth took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Eduardo Calderen led off with a walk, moved to second on a throwing error during an attempted pickoff and scored on a double by Troy Steele.

The Trojans (0-4) had one more baserunner the rest of the game when Calderen walked with one out in the fourth.

Royal Palm Beach (5-0) quickly erased the one-run deficit in the bottom of the second. Connor Rose singled to center, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw and scored on Connor Brennan’s single. Brennan ended up on third on a two-base error on the hit and scored on Brandon Hernandez’s squeeze bunt.

The Wildcats extended their lead with a five-run third, sending nine batters to the plate who strung together three hits, three walks, four stolen bases and one error. Dakota Mitchell’s two-run single highlighted the rally.

The Wildcats put away any doubts with a four-run fourth, batting around again.

Joseph Sleek led off with a walk, stole second and third and scored on Christopher Barr’s groundout to second base. The Wildcats added runs on a sacrifice fly by Connor Brennan and fielder’s choice by Hernandez.

It was the kind of inning that Joros and the Wildcats depend on.

“Our team speed is good and we got some guys that were aggressive on the bases,” Joros said. “That’s what our game is all about. It’s about doing the small things well.”

Winning pitcher Brandon Houk went four innings, striking out five and walking two while throwing 52 pitches. Jordan Lauginiger struck out the side in the fifth.

“Houk didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled through it and found a way to throw some strikes,” Joros said.

First-year Lake Worth head coach Mike Teman was proud of his team’s effort.

“We’ve got some guys out there that haven’t played baseball in a long time, and they’re learning and working their butts off on a daily basis,” Teman said. “That gives me so much pleasure to watch them early in the game competing with one of the best teams in the county, winning after an inning or two. Our coaching staff was looking at each other, ‘Hey, they’re playing the way we’re teaching them.’ ”

Teman wants to win but realizes there’s more to it than that.

“It’s about how they learn and develop as players and young men. I couldn’t be more proud of them right now even with a loss by a lot. Our goal, which is no secret to anybody out here, anybody around town, is we’re going to get better on a daily basis and to hopefully knock somebody off when it comes time.”

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