Boca Wins Neighborhood Showdown Against Pope

Boca Raton’s Carlos Leon scored two runs and drove in another while going 2-for-3.

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Both the Boca Raton Bobcats and the Pope John Paul Eagles are locked into the second seed in their respective districts, so when they faced off on Thursday afternoon at the Eagles’ Boca Raton campus, there was little on the line other than bragging rights. Both schools are located just minutes from each other and many of the opposing players have known each other since they were small children.

In the coming days, it will be the players that walk the halls of Boca Raton High School that get to do all the talking though, as the Bobcats bested their friendly rivals for the fourth consecutive time dating back to 2013, this time by a score of 4-1.

Boca Raton Manager Scott Morrison admits that such familiarity with the opponent presents a unique challenge.

“It’s just staying focused,” Morrison said. “It’s easy to not take things as serious because you know the guys from growing up and playing together. But those are all things you’re going to have to deal with if you want to succeed at the next level, and once we step across those lines it’s business as usual no matter who the opponent is.”

In preparation for the upcoming playoffs, both teams split their innings on the mound between two different pitchers. For the Eagles, Johnny Sheridan made the start, put in three innings of work and then was backed up by Alex Bialakis. On the Bobcats side, Jagger McCoy worked the first four frames to earn the win before giving way to Dalton Senger, who chalked up his fifth save of the season.

Through the first two innings, Sheridan and McCoy went toe-to-toe with each other. Both allowed runners into scoring position in the first inning but ultimately worked out of it. In the second, Sheridan gave up a lead-off hit to Ricardo Gonzalez but then benefited from a lucky bounce. A flubbed double-play ball ricocheted right into the glove of the Eagles’ second baseman, who was covering the bag, to get the force out. Two more ground outs put another zero on the board for Pope’s pitcher and McCoy answered back by allowing an inconsequential base hit amid three strike outs in the bottom half.

Evan Schaffner drove home the Eagles only run.

Both starters ran into a rough patch in the third inning.

In the top half, Carlos Leon took advantage of his familiarity with Sheridan by ripping a line drive into center field for a one-out triple.

“I’ve known their starter for years now,” Leon said. “And I know he always just flips up curveballs all day, so I just saw a curveball and ripped it the other way.”

Pope Manager Peter Graffeo called for an intentional walk against Palm Beach County’s top hitter, Michael Amditis, in the next at-bat. But there was no escaping clean-up hitter Mike Spooner. The Bobcats center fielder drew first blood for his team with a ground out to second base that brought Leon home, and Amditis’s courtesy runner later scored on a passed ball to open up a 2-0 lead.

Evan Schaffner and Cale Brader got one of those runs back for the Eagles in the home half. Brader plopped a ball into shallow left field for a one-out single and then stole second, before Evan Schaffner smashed a line drive down the left field line for a run scoring double.

A hit batsman and a base on balls against the next two Eagle batters put McCoy in danger of surrendering the lead, but he clamped down and induced an inning-ending fly out. He then worked his only one-two-three inning in the fourth to end his outing. He said after the game that the rivalry aspect had little effect on his approach.

“Most of us have grown up and played together, so we know them pretty well,” said McCoy. “I try to keep the same mindset I have every game. I just try to attack hitters, get ahead, then use my off-speed once I’m ahead.”

Senger closed out the game by allowing one hit and walk, while striking out three over the final three innings.

Filling in for Sheridan after the third inning, Bialakis struggled with his command at times but also did an impressive job working out of some jams. He opened his night with a four-pitch walk but eventually stranded that runner at third by gutting out a six-pitch strikeout to end the inning. Throughout his four innings of work, he gave up five hits, walked four and allowed one earned run, but also stranded a total of six Boca base runners.

Leon had a hand in each of those additional Boca runs. He scored the first on a passed ball in the fifth inning, and drove in the other with a single in the sixth. He also flashed some leather, leaping high to pluck a high chopper out of the air in the fifth inning.

As nice as Leon’s defensive gem was, it took a back seat to Christoher Graffeo’s effort in the top half of the same inning. With runners at second and third and two out, Noah Richman hit a screaming line drive down the line. But the Eagle’s first baseman made a diving stab to save the runs.

Mike Spooner had two hits and an RBI in four at-bats.

As fierce as the competition was between the lines, the atmosphere of the game was lighthearted and jovial, with opposing players often laughing and joking with each other between plays and innings. After walking him for the second time, Manager Graffeo even quipped to the .551 hitting Amditis that he shouldn’t have even brought a bat to the game.

“We’re going out here, we want to win, we’re competitive, we get fired up, but it’s not life or death,” said the elder Graffeo, who took the loss with a grain of salt and is confident that his team is ready for the playoffs. “We’ll keep grinding. I was happy with the emotion that we came out and played with, and the focus.”

Even though they were enemies on this day, players and coaches from both teams admit that not playing in the same district allows them the luxury of rooting for each other when the playoffs start up. But for now, the Bobcats’ Manager does not want to look that far ahead.

“We’ll get there when we get there and aren’t looking ahead to anything,” Morrison said before referencing their first-round match-up against John I. Leonard. “The biggest game of the year is Tuesday the 21st and we’ll take care of that as it gets closer.”

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