Oxbridge Powers Past Lake Worth Christian

Zach Chivers was a dual threat for the Thunderwolves, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored at the plate while also tossing a two-hit shut out.

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Lake Worth Christian hosted 2015’s first HSBN Palm Beach Game of the Week on Thursday afternoon and the visiting Thunderwolves of Oxbridge Academy made sure the fans in attendance got their money’s worth.

The Thunderwolves excelled in every facet of the game but none more so than on offense. They lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 18 runs in the second through fourth innings, while starting pitcher Zach Chivers stifled the competition, holding them scoreless on two hits and striking out eight to pave the way for a five-inning, 18-0 stunning of the Defenders.

The offensive showcase was a result of an all around team effort by Oxbridge. Each member of the starting nine crossed the plate at least once and all but one recorded a base-hit or better. The only batter to not have a knock, Adriano Oberndorfer, instead drew three walks and came around to score after each one.

“It all starts with pitching, as you can tell,” said Oxbridge Manager Juan Bustabad. “Zach Chivers pitched a great game for us, but on top of that our hitting was outstanding.”

Each week throughout the season, HSBN will sponsor a game to help raise money for the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. Kicking off the festivities on Thursday was 20-year educator Jim Hook, who tossed the honorary first pitch. Hook, who will retire this year, was all smiles as he threw a strike to Defenders catcher Anthony Padilla, and then shook hands with the rest of the his school’s club.

But from there on out the Thunderwolves stole the show. After a quick first inning where opposing starter Trevor Huffman set them down in order, patience, perseverance and power became the name of the game for Oxbridge. They forced Huffman to throw 37 pitches in the second inning while bringing all nine of their hitters to the plate. Once Tarik Latchmansingh opened the frame with a first pitch double, four Thunderwolves in a row managed to run the count full. Three of those batters eventually reached base and came around to score, as did Latchmansingh, opening up an early 4-0 lead.

The third inning brought more of the same for the Thunderwolves. After a quick out to start things off, Chivers beat out an infield single to second base, Teddy Benda doubled to move him to third, and Oberndorfer walked to load the bases. Justin Rivero and Alejandro Borjas took advantage of the RBI opportunity by hitting back-to-back singles to expand the lead to six. Tyler Levin then belted his first and only hit of the night, but it was as big as they come. After watching three straight balls, Levin teed off and sent one sailing over the left field fence for a grand slam that gave Oxbridge a 10-0 lead.

“The adrenaline was up, it was a district game and we were up by six,” Levin said. “I got three balls, I was looking for one just right down the middle so I swung and it went over.”

Teddy Benda capped a perfect 3-for-3 afternoon with a three-run blast in the fourth inning.

The Thunderwolves added eight more runs in the fourth. Latchmansingh and Jordan Bustabad each blasted a two-run double to left field, Chivers added an RBI single and Benda topped it all off with a three-run shot over the left field fence. It was the perfect ending to a perfect afternoon for Benda, who went 3-for-3 and walked in a fourth plate appearance.

“The first one I fouled of straight back and knew what I did wrong,” Benda said about his last at-bat. “I didn’t use enough top hand to get on top of the ball so I just fixed that throughout the swing and the home run happened.”

For all the offensive firepower, Oxbridge was also impressive in the field. In the first inning Levin cleanly fielded a Huffman fly ball in center field then fired a perfect throw to third base, forcing Orsen Josephina, who had tagged up at second, back in the direction from which he came. The third baseman Latchmansingh then threw to second to double Josephina off. In the second inning, shortstop Bustabad snared a hard hit line drive that had the makings of a base hit, then threw a strike across the diamond to double off Jordan Marrs.

Perhaps the biggest defensive gem belonged to Borjas, who moved from second base to shortstop in the fourth inning. He then robbed Huffman of a hit by diving to his left to make a spectacular stab of a blazing line drive.

Coming into the season, the Defenders’ first-year manager Kraig Lawrence knew there would be some games like this. His team is still short in the tooth and is without one of its best pitchers in Marrs, who is struggling through an arm injury that prevents him from taking to the mound. The senior was still able to contribute at the plate and in the field on Thursday night however, hitting safely in his only at-bat and drawing a walk in his only other plate appearance.

Still, Lawrence would have loved to have him available to pitch and thinks that he and Josephina will eventually provide Lake Worth Christian with a powerful one-two punch on the bump this season. Until then, he is trying to keep his kids on the right path.

“You gotta stay positive, you gotta tell them to keep their heads up and get right back at it, just like anything else,” said Lawrence. “There’s always gonna be days like this; you just go back to work and try to succeed.”

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