West Boca Wins 1-0 Pitcher’s Duel Against Chaminade-Madonna

West Boca’s Ian Tfirn accounted for one of the Bulls’ two hits in their 1-0 win over Chaminade-Madonna.

Sean Gabel relishes pressure situations.

The West Boca sophomore is not easily rattled, and big moments are actually really fun for him.

So with his Bulls clinging to a 1-0 lead and the middle of the Chaminade-Madonna lineup coming to the plate in the top of the seventh, Gabel was thrilled at the chance to take the mound and close out the victory.

Then he simply went out there and made it happen, giving West Boca (3-2) its second consecutive shutout victory.

“Gabel is not timid when he comes across the white line. I like to see that in our young guys,” West Boca coach Nick Siano said. “He is not afraid, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

Julian Pino crushed Gabel’s first offering into the deep gap in left-center field for a standup double, giving the Lions (2-2) the tying run on second base. But Pino was left stranded on the bases as the side then went down in order, the last on a called strike three that cemented the victory.

“I just tried to throw strikes and let my team do the work,” Gabel said.

Gabels’ final frame was on par with the Bulls’ pitching performance throughout, after senior ace Parker Danciu started and tossed the first six scoreless innings.

The big left-hander pounded the zone with 57 strikes on 74 pitches, scattering four hits and striking out 11 without issuing any walks.

Chaminade’s Brandon Burgess (#22) faces the Bulls Parker Danciu.

“He’s a great pitcher and a big role model for me,” Gabel said of his senior captain.

The lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the second, when junior Sean Kupchta crushed a pitch from Lions’ starter Brandon Burgess deep to left field for a solo homerun.

Neither team threatened much more as the two aces locked into a pitcher’s duel.

Burgess went the distance for Chaminade, putting 45 of his 71 pitches for strikes while allowing only two hits and two walks. He finished with four strikeouts.

“We had good swings, but they got one over the fence,” Chaminade coach Mike Moss said. “We had some opportunities, but we didn’t come through.”

West Boca’s Ryan Owens bats during the Bulls 1-0 win over Chaminade-Madonna.

The victory perfectly mirrored a 1-0 victory over Boca Raton last week in Danciu’s previous start, a game in which Gabel also came in and closed the seventh inning for the save.

“We go six innings, score a run, and hand it to Gabel for the close-out,” West Boca coach Nick Siano joked.

Despite the win, the coach understands that the team cannot simply expect its pitching staff to hold every team scoreless. Nor can they win on days they cannot string hits together, or when they kick the ball around the diamond.

“We have not put all three phases together yet this year,” Siano said. “We’re a good club, but it takes all three: pitching, offense and defense. Once we are clicking together, you’ll see us on a streak.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!