Boca Prevails 2-1 Over Santaluces In Game Of The Week Battle

TJ Tamaccio excitedly jumps onto home plate after hitting a solo home run in the second inning.

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Although the playoffs don’t actually begin for a few more weeks, Saturday night brought a playoff environment to the stadium at Boca Middle School. With a big district seed on the line, Santaluces battled against host Boca Raton in the HSBN Palm Beach Game of the Week. With so much on the line it was a game that lived up to those standards, as Boca Raton tallied a late run to pull out a 2-1 victory.

The Bobcats (10-9) swept the season series, after also winning a close contest the first meeting earlier in the year. Boca also secured the third seed in the district playoffs that begin in a few weeks.

“We played well tonight and we executed when we had to with timely hitting and we took advantage of a big mistake on their part,” said Bobcats Manager Scott Morrison. “It was a very important win.”

Carlos Leon notched the winning run to snap a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth, as he scored on the back end of a first-and-third double steal. The third baseman put a good sting on a 0-2 pitch to line a double deep to left field with one out in the fifth, and then he advanced to third base when catcher Michael Amditis bounced a single up the middle. Amditis gave way to courtesy runner Sebastian Gonzalez-Johnson, and on the second pitch to Brian Merritts the double steal was on.

“Coach has said if you see the ball coming out high from his hand to just go, and the ball came out high so I just went for it and scored and it felt great,” said Leon.

Leon had one of the most solid connections on the night, and the junior admitted afterwards that he was confident and prepared when he went to the plate for his third at bat.

“My first two at bats I had seen the ball pretty well and I had just missed two fastballs,” Leon said. “So I knew that the second I got another fastball I was going to attack it and hit it out to the gap.”

In a game that was dominated primarily by the outstanding pitching, it was the longball that put both squads onto the scoreboard. The Chiefs (9-13) got on the board to even things up in the top of the fifth, when Anthony Nichols jumped on a 2-2 offering from Bobcats starter Dalton Senger and drove it over the left field fence for a solo home run. In turn it was TJ Tamaccio who blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the second to put Boca out in front early.

Dalton Senger got the start and the win for Boca Raton.

“The home run kind of did the same thing for both teams,” said Morrison. “It got us up and then it got them back in the game. It really set the tone for both teams moving forward. Usually the ball does not fly out of our park and those were two very well hit balls that got out. We’re not a home run hitting team but it’s always nice when you’re on the right side of one.”

The contest started on the merits on pitching and defense, as the starter Senger and also Chiefs starter Jaxon Scofield both avoided early trouble thanks to their defenses. Luke Stemle led off the game with a single off Senger, two batters later Joe Strzelecki also singled, and then Chris Morgia drew a walk to load the bases. But a routine ground ball created an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Michael Spooner walked and Merrits was hit by a pitch to put two on in the bottom half of the first, before Strzelecki recorded the final out at the plate to thwart a double-steal attempt.

After Senger tossed a 1-2-3 second, Tamaccio ignited the spark that woke up his club and brought the energy of the game to the next level. The junior worked the count full to lead off the bottom of the second, and he dug in looking for his pitch.

“It was a full count and I knew a fastball was coming, so I just sat back and turned on it and it went over,” said Tamaccio. “I knew it as soon as I got it. It’s exciting to know that we have the lead then and then just try to hold it the whole way. It’s good to get this win and we haven’t got one in a while, so it really feels good.”

The Chiefs threatened one last time in the sixth when Strzelecki and Morgia both singled with one out, prompting a call to the Bobcats bullpen for lefty Jagger McCoy. The southpaw got two big outs on a strikeout and a 3-1 groundout in which McCoy just beat the runner to grab the relay throw from the first baseman Tamaccio and record the out. McCoy then pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the save and preserve the victory that improved Senger to 2-0.

“It was a good baseball game,” said Chiefs Manager Nick Franco. “Tamaccio took advantage of a fastball that was up and wasn’t down in the zone and he hit a home run. Anthony Nichols came back and tied it up with a home run, give credit to him. They just took advantage of the one costly error that we ran on the first-and-third play, a play that we practice all the time. It was a good game and I was pleased with how we responded after getting our butts kicked the other night.”

Looking to bounce back from a tough loss their last time out, the Chiefs certainly played like a squad hungry for a big win. Santaluces put runners on in almost every inning and played solid fundamental baseball throughout. On the mound Scofield went the distance on 103 pitches, taking a tough loss to fall to 3-2 on the season.

Santaluces left fielder Anthony Nichols heads home to celebrate with Luke Stemle after his solo home run that tied things up in the fifth inning.

“I was very pleased with Jaxon and how he played,” said Franco. “His last performance he had a rough one, his worst performance of the season. He has been just like tonight all the other performances; and he pitched great. Unfortunately he came up short.”

The left-hander scattered six hits through six innings, allowing one earned run and recordeing nine strikeouts. He struck out the side in the fourth, and also showcased some nice moves by picking off a base runner in the third. Scofield was particularly effective at working ahead in the count, as he started off 19 of the 28 batters he faced with a strike. He found the strike zone with 66 of his pitches, but working inside also resulted in him hitting four batters.

Even though the end result was not in their favor, Coach Franco admitted he was pleased with the way his team played in a big game environment. With the loss putting the Chiefs at 2-5 and into the fourth seed in the upcoming district playoffs, Santaluces will need to play their best baseball in order to extend their season. The Chiefs will face John I. Leonard in the district quarterfinals, and should they win that they would then need to upset top-seeded Park Vista to make it to the district championship and regional playoffs.

For the Bobcats, Saturday’s victory has given them a bit better scenario on their road to the playoffs. Boca remains entrenched as the three seed at 4-4, and will face Spanish River in the 8A-10 semifinals.

“This was an important win,” said Morrison. “Coach Franco and I were talking about it before the game; to only have to win one game to get into the regionals is very important. Now we get to play our friends down the road Spanish River, and hopefully we can pull one out to not only get a regional berth but also to get a district championship.”

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