South Dade Starts Strong, Soars Past Southwest

It was appropriate that Erik Manoah spent his postgame maintenance duties driving a tractor that smoothed out the infield dirt. Manoah had just produced an impressive opening night by clearing runners from the bases.

The South Dade senior drove in four runs to help the Buccaneers post a 9-1 win against visiting Southwest Miami in the Battle Down South Tournament played Tuesday night at South Dade in Homestead.

Manoah delivered an RBI single in the first inning and then sent a three-run shot over the 375-foot sign in left-center in the second, as South Dade (1-0) built an early 7-0 lead in the season opener for both squads. Manoah’s blast in his second at-bat of the season already matched his home run output from a year ago, but the 6-foot-2, 210 pound senior who has committed to FIU as a pitcher said his approach at the plate hasn’t changed.

“I just went up with an idea to drive the ball gap to gap,” said Manoah, who went 3-for-4 as the designated hitter out of the No. 3 spot. “I’m not going for the home run. If it happens, it happens.”

Manoah said he will likely get his first start on the mound next week against Coral Reef. Tuesday’s starting chores were handled by Salvator Finocchiaro, who delivered a sound outing. The junior right-hander held Southwest (0-1) to four hits and a run in five innings. He fanned seven, walked one and allowed a run, before Danny Vaughan and then Alek Manoah finished up in relief.

Finocchiaro avoided trouble most of the night, but when Southwest put two runners on with one out in the second, he promptly responded with two strikeouts to end the threat.

“It was a nice opener,” said South Dade Manager Fred Burnside. “Our kid on the mound did a nice job. We hit the ball pretty good. We got out front early and we pitched well. I’m pleased.”

South Dade’s offense looked as though it was in mid-season form. Production came from top to bottom as the Buccaneers churned out 14 hits against three pitchers. Jori Rodriguez did what leadoff batters are supposed to do: get on base and score. The senior provided a spark with two singles, two runs scored and a steal.

Sophomore catcher Gabriel Cruz was also a standout for South Dade. The No. 5 hitter reached base in all four at-bats and had three RBIs. He smacked a run-scoring double in a four-run first, and he tacked on a single, a walk and reached on an error. Austin Allende and Jason Rivero each had two hits.

Southwest felt the impact of having lost nearly its entire starting line-up from last year’s district runner-up squad. With only one returning starter, Southwest still managed six hits from their new cast of players.

“It’s going to be a learning experience,” said Eagles Manager Josy Torres. “They’re young. For a lot of them, this is their first varsity experience. We’re going to take our lumps, but we’re going to get better. We’ve got some talented kids; we just need to figure a few things out. We’ll be alright.”

Sophomore Bryan Carreras led Southwest with two hits. Leadoff man Isreal Luis had an RBI sacrifice fly.
Southwest’s No. 9 batter Alec Delgado was the defensive star of the game with a sharp glove at second base, but he also delivered his team’s lone extra base hit, a fifth inning double to right-center.

As a team, Torres said his batters need to work on consistency.

“We need to get everybody on the same page with our approaches at the plate, and I think we’ll be fine,” Torres said. “There’s a process to it, so we’re not really too concerned right now. We just hope to grow as the season goes on and have a chance at the end.”

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