Romero Shines As Coral Reef Defeats Florida Christian 7-3

 

The Coral Reef Barracudas (6-13) beat the Florida Christian Patriots (7-14) 7-2 in a match-up that saw the Barracudas right-handed starting pitcher toss an absolute gem.

Class of 2023 Ryan Romero got the start for the Barracudas, and he was locked in from the first pitch. He went 5.2 innings, striking out nine batters, and not allowing a single run. Ryan went deep into the game as he threw 103 pitches. Tough for even a Major League arm, Romero was able to persevere and push through to get his team closer to the victory.

Romero began the game strong. He was able to get through the first couple innings swiftly, throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second, and only allowing three base runners on through the first three innings. The bottom of the fourth inning was the only time Romero faced any kind of adversity, as he had only one out with a runner on first and second base. Calm and with poise, he was able to get out of the inning by forcing a ground ball to Barracudas second baseman Jesse Yngber, as he turned the double play with his fellow middle infielder Ryan Yaroshuk.

Romero was content with his outing, when asked about it after the game. “I felt great. I came out and focused on just throwing strikes”. He made sure to give his teammates credit for having there defensive efforts. “My team was there to back me up, making plays on the field…it was a great game overall”.

Barracuda short-stop, senior Ryan Yaroshuk, and center-fielder, senior Jose “Papo” Delgado, were both a pitchers nightmare at the plate, as each had outstanding plate performances. Yaroshuk, a Winthrop University commit, went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. “I feel like I laced that ball…”, said Yaroshuk when asked about his triple. ” I was trying to stay through the ball. He was throwing a lot of off speed, so I was just trying to stay back and stay through it”.

Delgado went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI of his own. Often hitters find themselves feeling uncomfortable at the plate when playing away, but Papo felt no pressure. “I just try to stay calm, and not think at the plate too much, because if you think too, you’re not going to do well, and under perform. Today I didn’t complicate things and I performed”.

Rife with talent, from senior Ryan Romero to sophmore Ethan Perez-Rivera, this Barracuda roster is stronger than they’re record lets on and manager Nick Quintero agrees. “We’re finally starting to play the baseball we’re looking to play and that we’re capable of. That’s all we ask…and I think we’re starting to turn the page on that”.

Sophomore right handed pitcher Michael Say got the start for the home team Patriots. His outing began promising, as in the first inning he was able to get out of a bases loaded jam with out giving up a run. In the very next inning, Say found himself in more trouble with the bases loaded again, but this time Coral Reef was able to capitalize. The Barracudas were able to score two in the second inning. Say was taken out of the game in the third inning, after allowing another two runs to score.

In to relieve Say was senior left-handed pitcher Andrew Carmenate, who was able to hold it down for his team for the next couple innings. He pitched three innings, two of which were shutout innings, while striking out four and only giving up two earned runs. When asked about his outing, Camenate said, “I felt good. I came in with the goal of putting up zeros on the scoreboard and see if we can pick it up”.

The score was 7-0 in favor of the Barracudas going into the final inning. Barracudas sophomore left-handed pitcher Dylan Quinzada was on the mound in the bottom of the seventh. The home crowd was already starting to pack up their things until a big lead-off double off the bat of senior Keanu Rodriguez followed by an immediate single from senior Ryan Campo kept them in it. A late rally transpired as the Patriots were able to put up three last inning runs. Alas, it wasn’t enough to get them over the top.

Interim manager Ricky Macias was filling in for Florida Christian manager Chris Brigman. Macias shared his thoughts on the game and the loss. “Obviously not the way we intended for today to go. Were just gonna have to comeback tomorrow, play stronger”.

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