Coral Springs Comes Back To Win Silver Championship
Austin Smith connects for the winning hit to drive in two runners in the top of the seventh.
There are plenty of cliches coaches use to inspire athletes to rise up in big moments. The Coral Springs Colts embodied them all in Wednesday’s Silver Bracket championship in the HSBN March Madness Shootout at Pompano Four Fields. Coral Springs fought back from being down to its last strike only to rally for two runs and claim a 4-3 victory over Palm Beach Central.
“We knew, just like them, that pitching was at a premium with this being the fourth game in five days. We were just able to get to their bullpen and be successful,” Colts manager Mike Federman said. “The message is always the same; be patient, stay within ourselves and just be the team we are. We’re not going to hit for power, but we have a lot of guys who put the bat on the ball and can run.”
With two outs and a full count, Coral Springs catcher John Lombardi started the rally with a single to right field. Tyler Hall then followed suit with another single to put the winning run on base, and a walk to Darrin Brown loaded the bases. Freshman Julian Henao came in to run for Lombardi, and he scored the tying run just ahead of Hall when Austin Smith stroked a liner past third base for a two-RBI single.
Alexsi Pogrebnov then set down the side in order to close out the game, earning the save while preserving the victory for starter Nick Volpe. After a pair of flyouts, the junior right-hander locked into a tough battle with Broncos shortstop Brendan Power. Brendan Power saw 12 pitches in all, as he fouled off pitch after pitch to stay alive and battle. Finally Pogrebnov got a strike in there to record the strikeout and spark the celebration.
“With Tyler and John getting hits, and probably the biggest at bat was DJ being able to lay off the breaking ball and work a walk, it was huge,” Federman said. “Austin put a good swing on the first fastball he saw and we were able to score two. More importantly, it was Smith in the bottom of the sixth that saved a run when he threw out the runner at home attempting to tag. That was a huge momentum shift for our team.”
Backup third baseman Pierson Reynolds had an outstanding day at third base, with several big plays.
After Brown and Smith both scored to pull within 3-2 in the top of the sixth, Palm Beach Central threatened to increase its lead again in the bottom of the inning. Hunter Gunn singled and moved to second thanks to a bunt from Savion Harris, and Daulton Gunn followed with a sharp liner to left field. The left fielder made an impressive catch and then fired the ball home ahead of the runner for a big 9-2 double play that ended the threat and kept the momentum all on the Colts’ side of the field.
Volpe had a quality start to earn the win, allowing one earned run in six full innings for the Colts (11-5). Palm Beach Central had control early on in taking a 3-0 lead after three innings, before Volpe settled in and the Colts began to scratch away to seize the momentum.
Hunter Gunn helped get things going for the Broncos (10-7-1) with a two-out single up the middle in the bottom of the second. Harris then lifted a shot to left field for an RBI double and then also scored on the play following a throwing error.
Palm Beach Central added another run in the third when Brooks Aristy had a stand-up double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a throwing error.
The Broncos struggled to string together hits late in the game, while the Colts started to manufacture some offense to get back into it.
“Looking back, it was four games in five days and each game we won was won different,” Federman said. “We played four really good, well-coached teams and got good starts from Phil Quinn and Max Lazar and were able to mix in a few other guys to start and help out. These kids played there hearts out this tournament, and the coaches and myself are so proud of them. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction as we get closer to the district tournament. Thanks to the HSBN team for putting on this tournament.”
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