Heritage-Delray Downs District Foe King’s Academy

Stallions hurler Dylan Gordon pitched a complete-game shutout

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During their eight-game winning streak leading up to Friday night’s Palm Beach County Game of the Week, the American Heritage Stallions had dispatched all but one of their District 4A-13 rivals at least once, and some of them twice. In the big spotlight contest they hosted the one team they had not yet faced, the Lions of King’s Academy, and continued their district domination.

Behind a complete-game, three-hit shutout by Dylan Gordon, the Stallions made a three-run second inning stand up for a 3-0 win that improves their record to a perfect 6-0 mark within the district.

“Dylan ‘pitched’ tonight,” emphasized Heritage-Delray Manager Carm Mazza. “He didn’t just throw; he pitched and he commanded his stuff. It was definitely his best performance.”

Beating district opponents is nothing new for the Stallions (10-2). They have not lost a regular-season contest within the district in nearly five years, when they lost 2-1 to former district foe John Carroll on March 16, 2010. Doing it against King’s Academy, however, is something of a new experience. Although the two teams have a long history against each other, this is just the second season that they are both in the same district. Heritage swept the series last season and now has a leg up in the current campaign.

“We’ve got some history,” said Mazza. “It’s a pretty good rivalry with Kings. They’re all right. They’re well coached and they’re going to be very good. They’re going to be dangerous.”

On Friday, they were dangerous enough to come just inches away from scoring a run in the first inning that might have changed the complexion of the game.

King’s shortstop Austin Sharkey was able to get on board with what amounted to a swinging bunt down the third base line, and then advanced to third on an error later in the inning. After Gordon made the second out by fanning Bobby MacKenzie, Sharkey found himself caught in a rundown that ended with him being tagged just short of the dish for the third out.

Gordon allowed just three more base runners the rest of the way. In the third inning, Dylan Costa hooked a soft line-drive just behind third for a base hit. It was the first time that the senior hurler, who features a two-seem fastball with a lot of downward movement, allowed a Lion to bat a ball in the air.

Kings starter Matt Tucker held a powerful Heritage offense to just three runs.

The next time was one inning later when James Vaughan led off with a sharp line-drive into left field for a single. He was erased on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat, but then Gordon gave up his one and only base on balls of the night to Ryan Arendas, putting runners at first and second with one away. Gordon clamped down to escape the jam by dealing one of his six strikeouts on the night, then inducing a chopper up the middle for the third out.

“It is disappointing, but you have to give their pitcher a lot of credit,” said Lions Manager Brad Wilkerson. “He kept the ball down. He’s a sinker-ball guy and he got a lot of ground balls.”

Gordon faced the minimum the rest of the way to chalk up his second win of the season. He did not allow another fly ball until the final batter of the night, and that fell harmlessly into left fielder Michael Malinchak’s glove.

“My two-seem is probably one of my best pitches,” Gordon said. “It has the most movement and it keeps hitters off balance, especially with my slider being on today. It definitely helped my repertoire, and then I threw my change-up for strikes and I kept them off balance. That’s why I was getting a lot of ground balls.”

The pitcher received all the run support he needed in the second inning.

Zach Schneider began the frame by plopping a single into left field after a hard fought at-bat in which he fell behind 1-2 and had to foul off four pitches before finally getting a hold of one. Justin Barney followed with a walk and Nathan Zuckerman moved them both into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. After a pop-out threatened the Stallions’ scoring chances, center fielder Jacob Swinarski stepped to the plate for just his eighth at-bat of the season. He wasted no time getting to work, ripping into the first pitch he saw and driving it down the left field line for a two-run double.

“I knew I had to get a hit no matter what,” Swinarski said. “It was a big situation with two outs, and two-out hits win ball games.”

Swinarski was driven home for the third run when Tyler Frank laced a ground-ball single into left field in the next at-bat. The play took a frightening turn when Sharkey lost the relay throw from the outfielder in the lights and was struck in the face with the ball, causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. In the confusion, Frank tried to round all the way to third base, which had been left uncovered. First baseman James Vaughan made a heads up play by hustling across the diamond to receive the throw and tag Frank for the third out.

Jacob Swinarski kicked off the scoring with a two-run double in the second.

Sharkey recovered and was able to continue in the game, and Wilkerson said that other than some soreness he is fine.

After a strong start that saw them jump out to a 5-1 record, the Lions have struggled of late, losing four of their last five as they head into Spring Break. Wilkerson believes the lack of patience at the plate was to blame for this latest loss and plans to work on it as the season progresses.

“When we’re up there at the plate we have to compete better,” said the first-year Manager. “There are a lot of guys that I don’t feel like they’re competing as well as they should be. There are a lot of quick outs, one-pitch outs, three-pitch strikeouts, and four-pitch strikeouts. We need to compete better.”

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