Boca Gets Revenge Against Park Vista For 8A-10 Title

Jagger McCoy went four and two-thirds innings in the win.

The Boca Raton Bobcats exacted some revenge on the Park Vista Cobras Friday night, winning the 8A-10 title 12-4 and snapping the Cobras’ 25-game winning streak.

Boca Raton lost only two games in the regular season. Both losses came at the hands of Park Vista, each time by one run. When they met in February, Boca jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before Park Vista tied it up in the bottom of the seventh and walked off in the eighth. One month later, the Bobcats again struck first and got out to a 1-0 lead before giving it up in the top of the sixth and seventh to lose 2-1.

This time, the teams faced off not only as the top two teams in the district tournament, but they also were ranked first and second in both the HSBN Palm Beach County and South Florida Power Rankings. Again, the Bobcats jumped out to an early lead. Unlike the previous two times though, they never relinquished it and kept padding it.

“Tonight was just a perfect example of execution,” Boca Manager Scott Morrison said. “One pitch tightened the game a little, but big-time players step up in big-time games.”

The Bobcats came out of the gate strong Friday night, scoring three runs in the top of the first. They got their first three batters on base before the first out was even recorded. They pieced together the three runs with smart baserunning and timely hitting, highlighted by a Michael Amdities’ RBI single and a TJ Tamaccio sacrifice fly. Before the Cobras even knew what hit them, they were in a 3-0 hole.

Jagger McCoy started the game for Boca Raton and preserved the lead. The junior lefty went four and two-thirds innings and cruised for most of it. He gave up a two-out, three-run home run to Park Vista’s Joe Genord in the fifth inning, and that one pitch was essentially his only blemish on the night.

Dakota Julylia went 3-for-4 with two singles and a double

“I felt really good,” McCoy said. “I got in a groove early and just kept working from there. I tried to get ahead with my fastball, which worked.”

At that point, the score was 6-3, which was the closest Park Vista ever got. In the top of the sixth inning, Tamaccio came up with two outs and the bases loaded and blasted a grand slam that effectively ended the game.

“I was seeing the ball really well,” Tamaccio said. “In that situation, bases loaded, two outs, pressure’s on him. I just got my pitch and drove it.”

Dalton Senger came in for Boca, pitching two and-a-third innings of one-run ball in relief to help seal the victory.

Though the Cobras had trouble really getting anything going on the night, Park Vista Manager Larry Greenstein focused on the positives of the season after the game.

“We had 25 in a row, and it’s hard to sustain that,” Greenstein said. “I told the team I was proud of them though. How many teams are going to win 25 in a row? I’ve only been associated with three teams that have won 25 in a row: two as a coach and one as a player. It just doesn’t happen very often.”

Boca Raton will host the Jupiter Warriors on Wednesday in a regional quarterfinal. Jupiter lost to Palm Beach Gardens 10-6 in the 8A-9 final Friday night. The game will be a re-match of a contest between the two over spring break. Boca Raton won that game 18-1.

“We played them over spring break, and it’s going to be a good matchup, we know that,” Morrison said. “We are going to see a really good pitcher on their end. Coach Mook does an awesome job, and it should be a good one.”

Park Vista will travel to Palm Beach Gardens for its regional quarterfinal. The two programs are no strangers to one another, but this will be their first meeting this year.

“At this point, they are all good.” Greenstein said. “It will be interesting because they are a good club, and we haven’t seen them yet this year. We didn’t play each other. We just have to come out and play our best and let the chips fall as they may.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!