Boynton Falls In 6A-14 District Championship

The Pembroke Pines Charter players pile up following their district championship victory over Boynton Beach on Wednesday night.

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Daniel Rodriguez-Velez admitted that winning the district title last season only made the Pembroke Pines Charter baseball team that much hungrier to go after another. On Wednesday evening at Flamingo Park in Pembroke Pines, the Jaguars accomplished that goal and fed that hunger.

Behind some timely hits and strong pitching, Pines Charter claimed a 5-1 victory over Boynton Beach to earn the 6A-14 district title.

“It feels really great to win this, especially since we did it back-to-back years,” Rodriguez-Velez said. “Last year was the first district title we ever got and it felt good, and it feels even better to bring it home again.”

The Jaguars (17-4-1) had already earned a spot in the regional playoffs that begin next week, and now their opening game in the playoffs will be hosted right back on their home field. Pines Charter Manager Carlos Iglesias admitted that is part of what you play for is to earn the right to play at home in front of your home fans. For this veteran club, all these accomplishments are a great reward for a group that has played together for this club for so long.

“This class right here has 13 seniors and they have all been together for four years,” Iglesias said. “It’s a pleasure to come out here and coach these players. They have a tremendous work ethic, they come ready to practice everyday and it shows on the field. This is also a tribute to my coaching staff, and I cannot say enough about my coaching staff. They come out here and they work so hard and they get the players ready. They should get all the credit for the way our guys are playing.”

Like all things worth having, none of it came easy. Boynton Beach (9-17) played with fire and passion at the onset, holding Pines Charter scoreless for the first two innings while also taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Bryan Ariza led off the inning with a double deep to center field, David Recio was hit by a pitch and then Stephen Kazmarek laid down a great sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Christian Perez beat out an infield single to push Ariza home and put his team on the scoreboard.

The Jaguars immediately responded with their next swings. Jordan Quijano blooped a single into right field, Matthew Rondon lined a single just fair along the third base line and Alex Monge-Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Peter Dourvetakis got the ball on the ground up the middle for a fielder’s choice RBI that drove in Jorge Herrera, who came in to run for Quijano. Anthony Gomez followed with a liner to center to send in Rondon and put Pines Charter in front 2-1.

“I thought the first few innings we were in the game, and then on a 0-2 count we threw down the middle when we should have been way off the plate,” Tigers Manager John Drouin said. “The single there sent in two runs and they took the lead. Those kinds of mistakes can’t happen.”

Now in control, the Jaguars padded the lead with a run in fourth. Catcher Trent Herzog singled to center, and then gave way to courtesy-runner Isaac Valancy. Valancy was erased on a fielder’s choice that landed Scott Thrasher on first, Rodriguez-Velez kept things going with a single to left and Rondon walked to load the bases. Monge-Rodriguez made a heads-up play when he saw the defense was back, dropping down a great bunt along the third baseline to push across Thrasher.

An inning later Rodriguez-Velez came back around to put the game away. Anthony Gomez doubled on a shot to the right field corner to bring the Jaguars big power hitter to the dish. Rodriguez-Velez put a big swing on an offering he liked and deposited the ball high and deep over the left-field fence for a two-run home run that doubled the Jaguars’ lead.

“I was 1-2 and they hadn’t thrown high and inside to me the whole game; and I was just ready for it,” Rodriguez-Velez said. “I went inside on it and I just pulled it. Walking around those bases and helping the team just feels amazing. In that situation where we needed it and I came up for my team, it is just the best feeling in the world.”

With the offense clicking, Pines Charter reliever Daniel Rivero took care of the rest. The junior came on in relief of starter and eventual winner Brett Alayon in the fourth, and he retired the final 12 Tigers batters in order to seal the victory. The right-hander recorded eight strikeouts without allowing a base runner to earn the save.

Boynton Beach also advances to the regional playoffs as the runners up, meaning the Tigers will be on the road in the regional quarterfinals. The young club has endured a lot throughout the season, and Drouin is hopeful they can correct some of their mistakes in time to make a run and perhaps even earn another shot at the Jaguars.

“We keep shooting ourselves in the foot every game,” Drouin said. “We have lost so many games by one run, and I don’t even know how many times or how many games. They have got to learn, and the great Connie Mack said, ‘You don’t learn anything form winning, only from losing. If you don’t learn from losing then you are a loser’. That’s us in a nutshell, plus we are young with lots of freshmen and sophomores. It’s been a rough season.”

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