Coral Springs Christian Cruises to Win Over Berean Christian

Berean Christian Bulldogs reliever, Michael McCullough delivers a pitch.

The Coral Springs Christian Crusaders jumped out to a nine-run first inning lead and cruised to a 3A District 7 victory over the Berean Christian Bulldogs on Monday afternoon. The Crusaders batted around their order in the first two frames in a game halted after five innings, emerging with the 16-4 win.

The pull of the full moon rising over left field may have been a factor as the seven Bulldogs’ errors were strangely just an inch or two off target from being successful put-outs. If not, the score may have been much closer. A dropped transfer at second nullified a possible double play in a protracted first inning and numerous infield throws were spiked just out of the control of harried infielders on the receiving end.

Lunar inspired or not, the Crusaders were on the march early. Kyle Cattrysse and Timmy Manning walked, and Jordan Small loaded the bases on an infield error. Coby Mayo crushed a low liner between third and short to drive in the first run. Keving Gutierrez dropped in a single in front of the onrushing rightfielder, whose throw home for the force drew his catcher just off the plate. Luis Pagan drew an RBI walk, followed by a sacrifice fly to center by Kohl Cameron.

Mark Robbins extended the uprising by beating an errant throw to first after a dropped third strike. Cattrysse marked his second at-bat of the inning by driving in two more Crusaders with a single up the middle. Cattrysse, running with two out, scored all the way from first on an infield throwing error on Manning’s chopper to the right side. Small doubled, driving in the ninth Crusaders’ run of the inning.

Coral Springs Christian Crusaders’ starter, Keving Gutierrez struck out three in one inning of work, picking up the win.

Eventual winner Gutierrez registered three strikeouts in the first, working around a walk and an infield error stranding the Bulldogs’ Noah Adams at third base. He was efficient in his first start after rehabbing from a shoulder injury, aware of the 35-pitch limit set by his manager.

Sebastian Rodriguez opened the second being hit by a pitch. Pagan walked and Timmy Arce singled to left. An excellent relay by shortstop Adams was thwarted by Rodriguez sliding just below the catcher’s tag. Pagan took third on the throw and scored on a wild pitch. Cameron walked. Arce and Cameron scored on consecutive infield errors. Robbins scored on an RBI 4-6 fielder’s choice off the bat of Manning. Further damage was averted when, with Crusaders on first and second with one out, a routine fly ball to short became an inning-ending, 6-4 double play when the runner wandered too far off second base.

The Bulldogs, down 14-0, put two runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Jordan McCullough lined an opposite field single to right. Malachi Kearney walked. Gutierrez was replaced on the mound by Robbins. Luke Yeargin walked to load the bases David Hendricks picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice put-out at first base, scoring McCullough. Yeargin scored on a wild pitch. After again loading the bases, Robbins put out the fire with an inning-ending strikeout.

The spacious foul territory of Seminole Palms Park had a hand in the Bulldogs’ next run. Leading off the third inning, the Bulldogs’ Ralph Perez walked then scored all the way from first on a three-base infield throwing error after a ground ball by McCullough. Trying to stretch his routine grounder into a triple, McCullough was thrown out at third on the play.

Berean Christian Bulldogs’ starting pitcher, Armani Zalez leads off an inning.

The Bulldogs scored their fourth and final run in the fifth after McCullough walked and stole second and third. Peter Hazera plated McCullough with an RBI 4-3 fielder’s choice.

While absorbing the loss, Armani Zalez competed valiantly through game-turning errors and a very tight strike zone. He was stoic after the loss.

“Today, I don’t know what happened. Learn from it. Don’t get down,” said the Bulldogs’ starter. “It was a bad loss but we have a game tomorrow.”

That spirit was echoed by the man leading the Berean Christian program.

“There’s only one place to go from here and that’s to improve,” said Bulldogs’ Manager Dave Lawler. “Today, the zone was tight and we allowed them to sit on pitches and they landed on them. The good thing is, we play again tomorrow.”

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