Pace Continues To Pile On Runs With 18-3 Win

After winning their last two games by a combined score of 31-6, the Spartans appear to be in midseason form after defeating Taravella 18-3 on Thursday in the HSBN Preseason Challenge.

The Spartans looked comfortable on their home field, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Taravella made it interesting in the third inning by scoring three runs to bring the score to 5-3. However, Pace’s bats proved to be too much for the Trojans as they pulled away in the third and fourth inning before the game was called for the mercy rule in the fifth.

“We scored a lot of runs the last two innings, and that’s good to see because usually the hitters are behind early in the year,” Pace coach Tom Duffin said.

Leadoff hitter Bryan Bermudez set the tone for the Spartans in the bottom of the first by hitting a single. After David Palenzuela was hit by a pitch, the table was set for Brandon Gomez. With runners on first and second, he knocked a line drive that went over the center fielder’s glove, which put him on third and brought both runners home.

In the bottom of the second inning, Gomez struck again when he hit a double to the gap in left-center to bring home Manuel Pazos before the runner on second was thrown out at home on a great throw by Taravella left fielder Manny Pantaleon to end the inning.

The Trojans made it interesting in the top of third. After Zach Pernick made it to third base after a walk and a couple pitches that reached the backstop, Joseph Libio hit a single to bring in Taravella’s first run. After the next batter flied out, Pantaleon changed the game with one swing when he hit a home run deep over the fence in left-center field to bring the score to 5-3.

After that, Pace kicked in to another gear with their bats and pitcher Jonathan Hernandez. In bottom of the third, Pace got three consecutive runners on base with a single by Austin Miro, a fielding error on a ball hit by Anthony De La Cruz, and a perfectly placed bunt by Andrew McCoy.

With the bases loaded, hitting ninth in the batting order, 5-7 freshman Derek Cartaya had a chance to break the game open and he delivered. Cartaya lined an opposite field shot to the right field corner to clear the bases for an enthusiastic standing triple.

“He threw first pitch fastball away and I just drove it over first base to hit the triple,” Cartaya said. “Our lineup is filthy. Our one through nine can do anything you need us to do and as long as pitchers keep us in the game we’ll keep getting those wins.”

In the fourth inning Pace continued their solid hitting performance headed by Gomez’s two run home run deep over the left-center fence.

“I just tried to hit the ball hard like I always do,” Gomez said. “I was just trying to get a good at-bat for my team and happened to get a good one that got out of there.”

Sitting with a comfortable lead, pitchers Jonathan Hernandez and Luis Deville shut the door for Pace. The left-handed Hernandez pitched four innings, recording six strikeouts with three hits and three runs allowed. Deville struck out two batters in the final inning to finish the game for Pace.

“If we keep hitting like this we just have to throw strikes and keep people in low scoring games then we’ll be alright,” Hernandez said.

After the game Coach Duffin was cautiously optimistic about his team’s hitting performance.

“I know that’s not going to be reality as far as the year goes on, but I like the fact that kids are seeing the ball well early and they`re making solid contact,” he said.

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