Palmetto Edges Coral Reef in the 8th for Mayor’s Cup Trophy

The air was one of festivity at Coral Reef, as there was music and tents set up in the parking lot of the park, but it was an intense baseball game that would truly take over the scene Saturday afternoon.

While the hot dogs sizzled and the band played, the Miami Palmetto Panthers clawed their way back from a 2-0 deficit to eventually win the game 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning on a wild pitch.

The “Mayor’s Cup,” as this game is called, pit two rivals, not only in their own district but in the broader sense of rivalry, against each other. Palmetto prevailed in the end, but Coral Reef held the lead most of the game.

Both starters kept the game close with different styles of pitching. Palmetto’s Nick Gruener pitched seven innings with 10 strikeouts, using his hard fastball to shut batters down at the plate. The Cudas’ Daniel Lann threw six and one-third innings, and using his control, forced 12 batters to ground out to his infield.

Both coaches gushed about their starters.

“He’s capable of pitching this way. This game has been a long time coming for Daniel,” Coral Reef coach Bisceglia said.

Coach Danny Smith from Palmetto simply exclaimed: “He (Gruener) pitched a hell of a ball game.”

Coral Reef struck first in the second inning. Gruener gave up two early hits, the first to Carlos Ugalde, who hit a high chopping grounder up the middle for a single. He stole second base before Elih Marrero ripped a double into the left-center gap to bring him in.

“Elih is only a freshman, but he has all the tools to be a great ballplayer,” Bisceglia said. “I coached his father many years ago, and now I have the pleasure of coaching him.”

The game would go scoreless until the fifth, thanks to strong defense on both sides. Reef third baseman Brandon Johnson contributed a bunch of assists, including a memorable scoop on a hard ball in the third inning.

In the fifth inning, Coral Reef got runners on base using bunts, and on a TJ Gordon single, Brandon Johnson came in to score. Gruener held them off for the rest of the inning, but small ball came into play later for Palmetto.

“The game has changed dramatically because of these BBCOR bats, probably for the better,” Smith said. “Small-ball tactics are the name of the game. People are playing a much classier game nowadays.”

Davis Marchus gave Palmetto its first score on a solo blast to begin the bottom of the fifth, but it all came down to the bottom of the seventh. The Panthers jumped on a waning Lann like true predators and got three quick hits, including the game-tying single by Michael Wall.

Both pitchers were handed the “no-decision” and Lann was pulled for relief man Danny Pino. Griffin Goldman came in to pitch for the Panthers, who couldn’t finish off the Cudas in the rest of the seventh.

Goldman pitched one flawless inning, and that’s all it would take for him to get the “W.” Marchus, the home-run hitter, started the Panthers off with a single. His pinch-runner, Taylor Lang, got sacrificed over and then made it to third base.

He scored on a wild pitch to win the game in the eighth inning, earning Palmetto their fourth Mayor’s Cup victory in five tries.

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