Thompson Delivers Another Walk-Off Win for Westminster Christian

When teams of this caliber square off, no lead is safe.

Thus was the hard lesson the Florida Christian Patriots were reminded of on Friday afternoon, as host Westminster Christian overcame a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning before prevailing 8-7 on an eighth-inning, walk-off RBI single from senior standout David Thompson.

The win gives the Warriors (14-3, 4-0) the top seed in 3A District 16.

“No one doubted we could win. I’m just glad I came back to contribute after my first two at-bats,” Thompson said after he overcame two early strikeouts to twice play the hero role and keep the Warriors’ hopes alive. His solo home run leading off the bottom of the seventh helped sparked his team to tie the game and force extra innings.

“They are a great team and we beat them this time, but we gotta play better than that to beat them again,” Thompson said.

Florida Christian (9-7, 3-1 in District 3A-16) gave the Warriors everything they could handle, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead after Brandon Canizares and Jake Molkentin led off the game with back-to-back solo home runs.

But Westminster Christian refused to fold, twice coming back to tie the game.

“You look at these kids and try to find what type of guys they are,” Warriors coach Emil Castellanos said. “They have the will to fight. When things don’t go their way, they fight and find a way. It is good to watch.”

Molkentin added a second solo home run in the third inning to push the Patriots’ lead to 3-0. Senior catcher Roger Gonzalez also had a huge day, going 4-for-4 with a double and three RBI. His two-run home run in the top of the seventh again pushed the Patriots’ lead to three runs.

“This team has been tough all year. They have worked hard all season and they play tough,” Patriots coach Ernie Padron said. “We just can’t give up extra outs to a team like that, and we did that. We have got to be more focused.”

The Warriors struggled against Florida Christian’s junior starter Chris Peleaz, as the left-hander controlled the tempo and limited the damage against the vaunted Westminster Christian lineup.

Junior John Ruiz almost single-handedly kept the Warriors in the contest, as he connected for a two-run home run in the third and then followed that up with a solo shot in the fifth. Ruiz finished 3-for-5 on the day.

Following Thompson’s longball leading off the seventh, Westminster Christian capitalized on several Patriots miscues to even the score. Anthony Gonzalez reached on an error and came in to score on a misplay off the bat of Luis Touron. Gabe Sanchez then roped an RBI single through the right gap to push Touron across.

After senior closer William Pozo was able to keep the Patriots off the scoreboard in the top of the eighth, Ozzie Van Der Dus led off the bottom frame with a single through the gap.

With his teammates howling in excitement from the dugout, Van Der Dus spurred his teammates on by screaming to them “Get me home!”

Two batters later, Thompson did just that.

“This was a big win for these guys. It was exciting to be down and come back to win it,” Castellanos said. “They are a great club and Coach Padron does a great job. We always know they are tough and it’s going to be a battle. Unfortunately, we play in the same district, so when we’re on the field, we are competing.”

Pozo earned the victory after the Warriors mixed and matched throughout the game in using five pitchers in all.

Meanwhile Peleaz was a workhorse for Florida Christian, going five and two-third innings while throwing 64 of his 92 pitches for strikes. He surrendered seven hits and a pair of walks and struck out seven.

But the Patriots relief corps were not able to withstand the Warriors spirited comeback.

“You have to give them credit,” Padron said. “They have a great tradition, they have a lot of heart, they are well-coached and they are really tough. I have a lot of respect for Emil [Castellanos] and his team.”

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