Lauginiger Brothers Help Royal Palm Beach Defeat Forest Hill

Forest Hill’s Mike Murray prepares to pitch against Royal Palm Beach, prior to the Wildcats 5-2 victory on Tuesday afternoon.

The Justin and Jordan Show took center stage again for Royal Palm Beach.

The Lauginiger brothers combined for a complete game as they helped the Wildcats hold off Forest Hill 5-2 in a District 7A-13 game Tuesday night.

The Wildcats, who won their sixth consecutive game to improve to 12-1, remain solidly in first place in the district with a 3-0 record. The Falcons fell to 1-2 in the district, 7-4 overall.

Justin started and lasted five innings, allowing six hits while striking out eight, walking one and hitting two batters on 86 pitches.

Jordan pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Royal Palm Beach head coach Brian Joros is happy to have the juniors in his lineup.

“They’re twins that couldn’t be more different,” Joros said. “Complete, complete opposites. Justin’s very serious and is a pleaser. Jordan is a goofball and keeps things light. They couldn’t be more different but they’re a great combination.

“Justin throws a little harder and has a tighter slider. Jordan just doesn’t feel the pressure of any situation it seems and throws a big, tight, loopy curveball. It’s just a great difference between the two of them. It’s a great change of pace for whoever has to see it. It’s a good combo to have and they’re quite the pair.”

Justin, however, struggled in the first inning as Forest Hill scored two runs with two outs. He threw 30 pitches in the inning and has been bothered by soreness in his oblique, according to Joros.

With one out, Ryan Mahoney bunted for a single down the third-base line and moved to second on a balk. After the second out, Brayan Ofarrill singled to center, moving Mahoney to third. Ofarrill took second on the throw home. Mahoney scored on an error and Justin walked Juan Garces to load the bases. He hit Odlandier Morales on the first pitch to force in Ofarrill.

Royal Palm Beach responded with three runs in the bottom of the first against Forest Hill ace Mike Murray, who had his own struggles.

Christopher Barr led off with a single to right and moved to second when Brandon Hernandez was hit with a pitch. Kyle Houck doubled deep to left, driving in Barr. Hernandez was cut down at the plate on Justin Lauginiger’s grounder to third but Dakota Mitchell’s grounder to shortstop scored Houck. TJ Abrams, pinch-running for Lauginiger, scored the go-ahead run on Connor Brennan’s single up the middle.

Murray, a senior, pitched a complete game, throwing 116 pitches. He struck out eight, including three straight in the sixth inning while walking one but he hit four batters. He also threw 30 pitches in the first inning.

“I was thinking that against a good pitcher like that (Murray) we better come out and respond and that’s exactly what we did,” Joros said. “Our shortstop (Houck) made an error and then he came out and got the big hit that scored the run. That’s what we try to preach to these guys; if they make a mistake, they flush it and go on to the next at-bat or the next play. He did a really good job with that and it was a big, big hit.

“Coming back with three on him (Murray) pretty much we set the tone and changed the momentum.”

Forest Hill head coach Russ Milliken wasn’t surprised with Murray’s early-game struggles.

“Michael notoriously struggles in his first innings and if you get past that, he’s usually pretty good,” said Milliken. “He hit three (four) guys tonight which is highly unusual for him. He might have hit three guys all year. He didn’t have his best stuff tonight but he kept fighting the whole time, he battled the whole time.”

Mahoney finished with three hits for Forest Hill, including a two-out double in the second inning.

“We put guys on second five innings in a row and we only capitalized in the first inning,” Milliken said. “You put that guy on second base, you have to score him. That’s what you’re supposed to do. And we didn’t do it.”

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