Jupiter Christian Moves Into 3A-7 Title Game With 1-0 Win

Nik Constantakos piled up 11 Ks while pitching a complete game shutout.

With eight consecutive wins under their belt, the Jupiter Christian Eagles were as hot as any team in Palm Beach County going into the 2016 playoffs. But if the team was merely “hot,” then their star pitcher, Nik Constantakos, could have burned the sun with the way he handled Tuesday’s 1-0 semifinal win against the Highlands Christian Knights.

Tossing 11 strike outs on top of the county-leading 98 that he had tallied in the regular season, Constantakos set a new school record for career Ks and went the distance for the Eagles, keeping the Knights off the scoreboard the whole time.

“Nik was masterful,” said Eagles manager Mike Lord. “He had command of three pitches and stayed in pitcher’s counts all afternoon. It was a big time performance in a must win situation.”

For all the highlights, Constantakos’ road to victory was not without a few bumps. He allowed four hits, two of them for extra-bases, and issued two free passes but managed to work out of trouble a few times in the early going.

He began the game with a walk to Jisdar Clotida, who eventually came within feet of scoring the first run before being thrown out at home to end the inning. Kyle Bombardier started the Knight’s half of the second inning with a double but he too was stranded as Constantakos eventually struck out the side. Swindly Lint doubled in the sixth inning and advanced to third on an error with just one out before Constantakos recorded a K and a groundout to preserve the shutout.

The Eagles’ lone run was a result of Nathaniel Hamilton getting hit by a pitch, working his way to third on two consecutive fielder’s choices and then coming home on an RBI by Reed Burke.

“Both teams played almost flawless,” Lord commented. “There were great defensive plays and good pitching, and one big hit made the difference. It was what a playoff game should look like.”

The Eagles will now face off against John Carroll on Thursday with their first district title since 2005 on the line.

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