South Dade Upends Flanagan 5-3 To Advance To States

8A Championship Gallery

Following the biggest win in program history, South Dade Manager Fred Burnside admitted how it has been the loyal support of their fans that have given the team the drive to succeed. The legendary skipper has been at the helm for six years, and on Friday night he was so proud to reward those fans with a victory they have all waited so long to enjoy.

In a tough battle with host and perennial state powerhouse Flanagan, the final result was a 5-3 victory in the 8A regional championship. Flanagan (24-2) had not lost on their home field since falling to Jupiter at the same point in the season a year ago, and its ace Gentry Fortuno suffered his first career high school loss in his third full varsity season.

“You see the enthusiasm breeds from the South Dade community and you have seen the facility and they are behind us, and it’s just great to be a Buc,” said Burnside. “I can’t describe it; it’s just a great, great feeling. Not that it’s all over, but when you lie exhausted on the battlefield there is no greater feeling. I guarantee they’re exhausted; I’m exhausted emotionally. But it’s the greatest feeling you can have.”

The Buccaneers (21-6) came back from a two-run deficit to claim the victory and shock the Falcons on their home turf. South Dade advances to its first state semifinal appearance, where it will face Deland (20-10) at jetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Friday, May 16th.

Trailing by a run in the top of the sixth, Bucs star player Erik Manoah connected for a two-run home run that proved to be the difference. Erik drove a 1-2 offering from Falcons ace Gentry Fortuno over the center field fence, driving in Artie Paula before touching the plate with the deciding run. For a player that has meant so much to this program during his career, and especially this season, it was only fitting that Erik came through with the biggest hit in South Dade history.

“Most people would say that we were the underdogs in this matchup, but at the end of the day the way we look at it as their record is 0-0 and our record is 0-0,” Erik said. “We’re coming out here playing seven innings of baseball and whoever plays best is going to come out on top. Today I am so proud of my team and I am so lucky to be a part of what this team has become this whole year. We’ve had our bumps on this road but now we’re back on track and we’re going to the state tournament. It is the best feeling in the world.”

South Dade added an unearned run later in the inning, as Sergio Lopez hit a sacrifice flyout to deep center to push across Jahzeel Clarit.

“We were in this game, we felt that we had it under control, we had our horse on the hill, and we had a lead late,” said Flanagan Manager Ray Evans. “You’ve got to give it to them; Manoah’s a helluva of pitcher and he’s a helluva hitter. He went and got a 1-2 change-up that sat up and he was able to hit it well. A lot of guys, maybe they roll over, maybe they get underneath it and pop it up. But he was able to stay behind it and take one out and put them up. The nail in the coffin was when we make an error and put a guy on third base, and then we get the sac-fly. A one-run game is a lot different then a two-run game.”

It was a tough road just to get South Dade to this point. After falling to Killian in the 8A-16 championship game, the Bucs began the regional playoffs on the road. Yet at every stop the team continued to believe, continued to improve and continued to impress. The players built the grit and character that typically molds champions.

“You’ve heard all the clichés being in your business, but they’re all true here,” said Burnside. “It’s a hardworking group and you could say it has been through tough love. I’ve had to beat them up. It’s been more beating up then really I wanted to, but I think it showed in the stretch here. We were tough on the road, and we had to win three tough road games to get there. I’m so proud of them and it’s a great group.”

While Erik had the biggest play, he was far from the only star to shine on the night. Artie Paula sparked things early on with a solo home run in the top of the first inning, and was 2-for-3 on the night.

“We had to get prepared, and it starts in practice,” said Paula. “We knew we were coming in to face one of the best pitchers in this division. We had to get ready and we knew what he threw. We just prepared right for it, we had the right coaching and everything turned out to work out perfect. We’ve all fought, we’ve all hustled; it’s just been blood, sweat and tears and we’ve been through it all. We’re bouncing back and we’re going to fight all the way. We broke history at South Dade. It’s the best feeling in the world right now.”

Lopez contributed by going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs.

After the Bucs took the early lead, Flanagan rallied back to even the score in the bottom of the third. Andres Rios bounced a chopper over the second baseman and then stole second to get into scoring position. David Sarmiento wasted no time in capitalizing, as he rolled an RBI single through the left side to push Rios across the plate and make it 1-1.

The next inning the Falcons took their only lead of the contest. Oscar Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk and Ryan Dodge jumped on a 3-1 pitch to drive it over the centerfield fence for a two-run home run and a 3-1 advantage. With their ace on the mound and the lead in their favor, the Falcons looked in position to hold on for the victory.

But the Bucs simply wouldn’t be denied. Lopez cut the deficit in half by leading off the top of the fifth with a solo home run to left-center, and Paula chopped a single over the third baseman with one out in the sixth to bring Erik to the plate for the pivotal moment in the game.

After taking back the lead, Erik replaced Danny Vaughan, who had come in to pitch to one batter in replacement of starter Jose Gorordo. Erik tossed two scoreless frames to close out the victory, earning the save and clinching the win for Vaughan.

“I told my coaches joking around that I wanted to start for this one, and obviously you know that is not the right thing to do,” said Erik. “I told them in the third, fourth inning ’Coach, let me start warming up’. Finally when I hit the home run rounding third base Coach told me to go start warming up. I got the rock and I had to do what I had to do. We came out on top and that’s all that counts, and you know what, when we go to that tournament you’re going to hear big things about South Dade this year. We’re going to make history.”

While the South Dade faithful fans are already believers, even Coach Evans has come to believe that the Bucs can do just what they are setting out to do.

“They’re a good team and I think they’ve got an excellent shot at winning it all,” said Evans. “Manoah will be on the hill in the first round, and after that Gorordo showed he can pitch with the best of them. So I think they have a great shot of taking home a state title.”

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