Pace Sends Message With 13-3 Win Over Royal Palm Beach

Monsignor Pace drove in 12 runs in the first two innings and never looked back, defeating Royal Palm Beach 13-3 on Tuesday in the HSBN Preseason Challenge.

Monsignor Pace, a state-title contender this season, ended last season with a loss in the state semifinals. Although the Spartans know Tuesday’s win was far from a redemption game, it should start to soothe the pain.

David Palenzuela’s RBI double and three-run home run helped the senior-filled Spartans garner the mercy-rule win in the sixth inning.

“We swung the sticks well,” Spartans coach Tom Duffin said. “It looked like it was going to be a slugfest there for a while, but we did a nice job and we’re real happy with the way we swung the sticks.”

Royal Palm struck first as Brandon Hernandez walked, got moved over on a wild pitch and sacrifice bunt and scored on Kyle Hovck’s single up the middle. Monsignor Pace’s ace Alex Perez regrouped and recorded his first strikeout to end the inning.

Pace and leadoff hitter Bryan Bermudez wasted no time getting on base. Bermudez singled up the middle to start the bottom of the first inning, Manuel Pazos followed with a stand-up double to left-center field and Palenzuela hit another double for the Spartans, bringing in Bermudez. After Brandon Gomez walked, Austin Miro came to the plate with bases loaded and struck a ground ball that was misplayed, bringing in Pazos and Palenzuela.

Anthony de la Cruz belted a deep shot to left field, bringing in Gomez and himself for the game’s first home run. Andrew McCoy took a pitch more than 360 feet for back-to-back home runs. The Spartans struck five hits and drove in six runs to jump out to a 6-1 lead.

“It feels great to start like this,” Palenzuela said. “All the hard work we put into it showed. We’re here practicing Monday through Saturday.”

The Wildcats, however, made a little run of their own. Jessie Stebbins singled to start off the second inning, and Bryant Miranda hit a grounder that was misplayed, putting Stebbins in scoring position. Stebbins came in on Justin Douglas’ fielder’s choice. Royal Palm Beach drove in another run in the second, trying to close the gap, but the Spartans responded.

Bermudez and Pazos were walked to start the bottom of the second inning. Palenzuela almost made it to first after being hit by a pitch, but he was called back to the plate for leaning into the pitch. The lefty hitter made them pay for it with a shot over the right-field wall for a three-run home run.

“I got beaned at the plate, and they said I leaned into it, which I didn’t, so I went back and took advantage of it,” he said.

Miro singled up the middle, stolen second base and went to third on a wild pitch. McCoy’s single to left field brought in Miro. Later on in the second, freshman starter Derek Cartaya showed he can play with the upperclassmen with an RBI single. The Spartans again tallied in six runs to stretch the lead to 12-3.

Royal Palm Beach had hopes of rallying in the third, but the Spartan’s Perez recorded three quick strikeouts for his final inning.

“I didn’t start out too good, but my team backed me up and made feel comfortable,” Perez said. “In the third, my slider was coming through, and I wanted to end on a good note.”

The Spartans and Wildcats used much of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings as a chance to give the underclassmen some reps before the start of the season.

Pace’s Richard Cruz singled up the middle to start the sixth inning before back-to-back singles by Daniel Delgado and David Delgado, allowing Cruz to score.

The Spartans tallied 14 hits and 13 runs, but that may not be enough for Duffin.

“There is still a lot of work to be done, but this was a good night to get everybody in the game and see what we need to work at,” he said. “We played great, but we’ll take it with a grain of salt.”

Royal Palm Beach coach Bart Wible knows his team can and will compete when the season starts.

“We have the team and the players to come back from a deficit like that,” Wible said. “We’re better than what we showed. We gave up after the second time we got down kinda big, and that’s not something I’m willing to accept. We’ve got six days to practice and be ready for the season.”

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