Oxbridge Bats Wake Up In Big Win Over Palm Beach Lakes

Jordan Bustabad pitched a shutout on the mound and went back-to-back for home runs with Ben McGrath for the Wolves.

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Ask any baseball player what they want for their birthday and chances are they will say they want to hit a home run. It’s a whole different feeling when that actually happens.

Oxbridge Academy leadoff hitter Tyler Levin celebrated his 17th birthday on Wednesday, and making his birthday wish come true also helped spark a victory celebration. The birthday boy connected for a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the finishing touches on the Thunderwolves win over Palm Beach Lakes, which ended at 10-0 due to the mercy rule coming into affect after Levin’s home run.

Levin went 2-for-3 on the day, and also reached after being hit by a pitch in his first at bat. The junior helped spark a first inning scoring burst by swiping a pair of bases and scoring the first of four runs in the frame to give the Wolves (2-3) a lead they would not relinquish.

“Everybody wants to hit a home run, and I just went out there and did it,” Levin said. “Palm Beach Lakes was a good opponent for Oxbridge and we put it to them. Last season I got my first home run on my last at bat of the season, so it’s good to have it in the middle now.”

Just as key in his performance Wednesday was his play at the hot spot at shortstop. With the team’s normal shortstop taking the hill, Levin manned the important position and led the defense. When the Rams Dave Cash sent a blooper into shallow left field leading off the second inning, Levin was able to track the ball down and make a nifty over-the-shoulder grab to rob Cash of the base hit.

“I’m not normally a shortstop, but when I am put there I like to make plays,” said Levin. “It pushed the momentum towards Oxbridge and it was a good feeling.”

Roberto Rodriguez singles for Palm Beach Lakes.

Wolves starter Jordan Bustabad helped his own cause by ripping an RBI single past third base to drive Levin home with the game’s first run. Bustabad scored on an infield error to increase the lead, Tarik Latchmansingh singled and eventually scored on a passed ball and Nick Buompadre was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in Nick Russo.

After a slow start at the plate this season, Wolves Manager Juan Bustabad was pleased that the bats finally came alive. The team batted around the order in the first, and finished with eight hits on the afternoon.

“It’s a great feeling because we’ve been struggling with our bats for the first three games,” said Coach Bustabad. “We want to be more aggressive swinging at fastballs and try to put the ball in play. Yesterday we hit the ball well against Glades Day and we came back today against Palm Beach Lakes and we swung the bat well. Our biggest focus has been our hitting and we’re starting to swing the bats better.”

The highlight moment of the day came in the top of the second inning. Jordan Bustabad connected on an 0-2 pitch and soared it over the left field fence for a solo home run, and Ben McGrath followed with a longball of his own to give the club their first back-to-back home run moment in program history. With the team playing in a district for the first time this season, the club has already seen how far they’ve come in the short history of Oxbridge Academy, and Wednesday’s feats were just another chance for them to enjoy such moments.

“Everyone was going crazy and it was really intense in the dugout, with everyone shouting for back-to-back homers,” Jordan said. “Our senior Ben McGrath, he’s committed to Navy, and he came up and did it. It just got crazy. The school is really young and setting history is going really good. Hopefully we can beak that now by going back-to-back-to-back, and win more games and make Oxbridge history by winning it all here.”

Sam Wortman had a two-RBI single for Oxbridge Academy.

While the Wolves focus on writing their history on fresh clean pages, the Rams are focused to bring along a new group of players this season. Coming off their most successful season in recent years, Palm Beach Lakes (0-3) returns just one player from last year’s squad. It is a group of guys who are not only new to the game but also new to the sport.

The club’s lone veteran is senior shortstop Roberto Rodriguez, who was a second-team All County award winner last year and who has returned this year to grab the leadership reins of this squad. Rodriguez leads the defense both with his vocal presence and direction, as well as with his strong throwing arm and capable glove.

Rodriguez also led the Rams at the plate on Wednesday, connecting on a 2-1 pitch and lining it into centerfield for a single that loaded the bases in the top of the third inning. Miguel Garcia had drawn a walk and Dante Pope was hit by a pitch to bring the order back around for the Rams. Although the club was unable to scratch a run across to avoid the shutout, there was some relief in securing a base hit a day after the team was no-hit in a loss to Forest Hill.

“This year has been kind of a struggle because I’ve been hitting balls hard that aren’t falling, but finally one fell through,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully it’s a snowball effect and I just stay hot.”

Rodriguez joined a team full of senior leaders last year, and with all those guys now gone he has stepped forward to shoulder that role himself this year. It is an uphill battle to help guide a very inexperienced squad along, and Rodriguez appreciates the chances they get to enjoy some positives. One example came in the top of the fifth, as Luke Kahn poked a single into shallow left field for his first career base hit.

“It’s exciting to see those things, because we deal with a lot of frustration with them being new to the game,” Rodriguez said. “So when stuff like that happens, it’s exciting. It’s still kind of challenging for me because I’m not used to having a leadership role like this, but it’s going to do nothing but build character and I am excited. They make it easy and they listen.”

The Rams struggled offensively, as Jordan Bustabad was able to pound the strike zone and work ahead for most of the day. The freshman right-hander was making his first start of the season, and he responded with a complete-game shutout while allowing just two hits and issuing a walk and a hit batsman. Of his 70 pitches thrown, 48 of them found the strike zone to lead the way to seven strikeouts on the day.

“It all starts with the pitching,” said Coach Bustabad. “It was Jordan’s first start of the year and we just need him to throw strikes and be aggressive, and let the defense play behind you. We have a lot of freshmen on our team, so the biggest thing is confidence. As we play more games they are getting experience, and the more they play the more they are learning.”

Dave Cash went the distance for the Rams, picking up three strikeouts in the loss.

Also going the distance on the day was Rams starter Dave Cash, who took the loss on the hill. The right-handed junior struck out three in his five innings of work, while proving if nothing else that he has the ability to be the team’s new workhorse on the mound.

In many ways, both clubs mirror each other in their approach to this new 2014 season. The Rams have many guys who are playing the game for the first time, and the Wolves have a team that is still very new in its existence. Wednesday brought a bright new chapter to their young story at Oxbridge, and perhaps the start of a new rivalry.

Each day brings new things to appreciate and build off of. While the team has learned much from their three losses already this season, the Wolves equally appreciate the chance to learn some things about themselves from a big victory. Either way, they are becoming a team and making their mark in a history book that is still mostly blank pages.

“There is a lot of excitement at the school. We have a good sports program at the school and we’re growing,” said Coach Bustabad. “As every year goes by we are getting better and better, and the competition we are facing all want to beat us. We have to be ready for the challenge, but it’s an exciting time at Oxbridge. We’re just trying to get better every game, because we know the future is good.”

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