Dwyer Walks Off Against Boca Raton 1-0 to Advance in Class 8A

Dwyer celebrates its walk-off win.

The district playoffs ended last week, so the new week brought extended pressure on the remaining teams as the stakes were raised to win or go home.

For the Dwyer Panthers, it was an opportunity to host a regional championship game and advance further in the playoffs, while Boca Raton looked to continue its magical run.

“The energy was electric,” Dwyer coach Frank Torre. “It is always great to play at home in regional game. You have a little bit of an edge.”

The edge may have been the size of a grain of sand, as the Panthers walked off against Boca 1-0.

The Panthers came out swinging early as they had a runner in scoring position in the first three frames, but Boca starter Chris Sheehan had other plans. The right-hander got out of trouble all three innings to keep it scoreless.

Dwyer’s starter Cheyne Bickel matched his counterpart by throwing three perfect frames to start the game. However, in the fourth, the right-hander ran into trouble after a single and a stolen base. With a runner in scoring position, Bickel tightened up and set the next two batters down on a weak fly and a ground ball to escape the threat.

Through five innings Bickel and Sheehan matched each other. Bickel went on to throw a perfect six, but Sheehan was finished after five innings, giving way to reliever Peter Rantz, who was no slouch as he tossed a perfect bottom half.

Both teams headed to the seventh inning with three hits apiece and the game still scoreless. The tension would have been tough for any player, but Bickel was calm as he set the side down in order.

“When I mix my pitches up, I feel confident on the mound,” Bickel said. “I knew if I kept the game locked up, my team would come through. I have tremendous faith in all my guys.”

In the top half, the Panthers found that elusive game-winning run as Bradley Emory led off the inning with a walk. After Duke Stenkel moved him over to second on a bunt, Tim Lynch singled up the middle, but the Boca second baseman made a great diving play to preserve the lead. However, his throw came up a bit short and allowed for Emory to score the game-winner.

“It’s a tough way to lose it,” Boca coach Jeff Rosa said. “I can’t be disappointed because these guys have given me ‘A’ effort the last two weeks. When these guys give me that kind of effort, we play great baseball. I have been here three months, and this has been the best baseball we have played all year.”

Torre said a can-do attitude has his team optimistic.

“We are pretty confident going forward,” he said. “If we play our game, we can beat any team.”

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