PB Gardens Falls Just Short Against Monsignor Pace

Gators starter Tony Schutzer pitches from the stretch during Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to Monsignor Pace.

Every year going back for a couple of decades, Monsignor Pace and Palm Beach Gardens meet up in a late-season contest.

For the past 12 meetings, Gators Manager Joe Russo had watched his team come out victorious.

But on Wednesday night, the visiting Spartans finally ended that streak, holding off a late comeback bid for a 5-4 victory in a game played at Lilac Field, which is affectionately known to the locals as Joe Russo Field.

“Anytime you can come into Palm Beach Gardens and pull out a win, it’s good,” Spartans Manager Tom Duffin said. “I have the utmost respect for Gardens and Coach Russo and the program he runs. Maybe I won’t win for another 12 years, but at least we’ll enjoy it tonight.”

Every year these two squads battle it out in a beneficial tune-up game to get prepared for the postseason, and many times in recent years the Spartans (14-4-1) fell but an out or two short of the victory.

After coming close other times in recent match ups, Duffin was not surprised to see the Gators (16-5) rally back from a two-run deficit with their final swings in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“Unfortunately, it’s always been the other outcome,” Duffin said. “We made an error late in the game, and then here we go again. It’s never over until it’s really over.”

Trailing by two and down to their final swings, Gardens quickly found itself with a pair of runners in scoring position after Hunter Sanicky reached on an error, Nick Gallo followed with a single and then Nick Horvath moved them both up on a sacrifice bunt.

Pavin Smith was able to send Sanicky home on a fielder’s choice groundout that also moved the tying run 90 feet from home.

But Pace closer Richie Cruz induced a flyout to close out the victory and earn the save, while rewarding Pace starter Jonathan Hernandez with the victory.

“They swing the bats well and it was well-played on both parts,” Russo said. “We know they’re going to be a solid club, and that is why we schedule them late in the year. It was a good game, but it would have been nice to win it there late. We got back to the middle of the order, and we were hoping for a few clutch hits there. It didn’t happen. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

The left-handed Hernandez held Gardens to three earned runs while tossing 89 pitches and limiting the damage to three hits and four walks.

Clean-up hitter JJ Schwarz had an RBI double and reached base three times for the Gators.

Showcasing a fastball in the upper 80s, Hernandez did a great job of mixing up his pitches while working his off-speed pitches outside and then pounding the inside corner with his fastball.

“That was one of the better games I’ve seen him throw all year,” Duffin said. “The umpire was great. He was very consistent for both sides and his zone was tight. He was consistent, so we knew where to throw it and Johnny hit his spots. He made some really good 3-1 pitches with change-ups that really kept guys off and got us out of innings. It was a good outing all around.”

Although it is forbidden to argue balls and strikes in baseball anyhow, it is worth noting that Wednesday’s crew called an incredibly solid game that left no question that the outcome was based solely on the play on the field.

In a contest that saw four lead changes in all, the Spartans took the lead for good in the top of the sixth on a pair of back-to-back RBI doubles from David Palenzuela and Brandon Gomez.

Pace finished the game with 14 hits in all.

“We didn’t throw our off-speed pitches for strikes so they were sitting back on the fastball,” Russo said. “For a one-run game and that much of a differential in hits, it was good for us.”

The Gators managed just four hits on the night, but they made them count.

JJ Schwarz drove a shot deep to left field for an RBI double that scored Horvath in the first inning, after the center fielder drew a one-out walk to get on base and help pave the way to an early 1-0 Gardens lead.

After Schwarz drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth and was replaced on the bases by courtesy-runner Harley Sanicky, designated hitter Joey Boyd lifted a shot deep to right field and then raced around the bases for an RBI triple.

Caleb Perez then drove Boyd home on a fielder’s choice groundout that gave the Gators the lead for the last time at 3-2.

Left-handed reliever Tanner Hurley took the loss to fall to 2-2 on the season after allowing three earned runs over two and two-third innings of relief.

Gardens’ Nick Horvath scores in the first inning.

Righty Tony Schutzer started on the hill for Gardens, allowing one run over three innings, and Austin Wilson closed the contest with an inning and a third of scoreless work.

“Some guys got to pitch against a good team that may not normally be our front-line guys,” Russo said. “So it gives them experience going down in the future when they do have to throw those big district games.”

Preparing for the postseason is the motivating factor that has kept this yearly meeting occurring, and both teams have long appreciated the way one another tests them and challenges them with elements they will likely encounter again in the playoffs.

As an example, both teams battled down to their final outs when they faced off at the end of the regular season last year, before both then rode strong playoff runs to reach the state tournament.

“Coach Russo does a great job with Palm Beach Gardens,” Duffin said. “Every time we come here it’s a battle. You know they’re going to be well-coached and they’re gong to be disciplined. We got 14 hits, and here we are scrapping to win by one, so go figure. Any other high school game where you have 14 hits, you’re probably going to mercy-rule them.”

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