Charles W. Flanagan High School Baseball

In yet another display of tenacity and resiliency, the never say die Flanagan Falcons (13-2) mounted a huge late inning comeback on the road to defeat a solid St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (10-4) ballclub, 13-11.

The Raiders got out to a 3-0 first inning lead after four hits and two Falcon defensive miscues resulted in a pair of unearned runs off starter Mark Peterson.  Flanagan would knot the game at 3-3 in the top half of the 3rd inning when Pichi Torres (3-5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR) hit the first of his two home runs in the game, driving in Collin Martindale and Ryan Lozada, who was pinch running for Justin Frias (3-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, HBP).

St. Thomas got their three run lead right back in the bottom half of the third when, after a pair of one out singles chased Peterson, rightfielder Vinnie Mauro greeted Falcons reliever Andres Ortegano with a three run home run to center.  The Raiders lead would grow to 9-3 in the bottom of the 4th after another Falcons error resulted in two more unearned runs.

Battered but not beaten going into the top of the 5th inning, the Falcons were ready to answer the bell with another signature comeback, aided by the long ball, and led by a few different heroes.  A walk to Frias was followed immediately by Torres' second home run of the game, cutting the lead to 9-5.  A lineout and a strikeout put the Falcons in a precarious position, with two outs and nobody on, still down by four.  A double by Corey Janson (1-3, 2B, 2 BB) and a single by Nick Basto (2-3, R, 2 RBI, BB) put men on the corners for pinch hitter Carlos Delgado (1-2, R, 3 RBI, HR), who slammed the second pitch he saw over the left field fence, cutting the deficit to 9-8.  After a pair of walks, Frias would deliver the tying run with an RBI single to right.          

As they had done in their half of the third, the Raiders immediately retook the lead, 10-9, in the fifth when Jake Wiesler drove a two-out run scoring double off Flanagan reliever David Gonzalez.  The Falcons would answer right back in their half of the sixth inning when a solo moon shot to left by Zach Jackson tied it back up at 10-10.  However, the boys in black and green were not done there, as Basto followed back to back walks and a wild pitch with a two run single, extending the Falcon lead to 12-10.

Another missle shot by the Raiders' Mauro made it 12-11 in the bottom of the sixth, and a head first effort by Frias on a two out wild pitch made it 13-11 Falcons going into the final at bat for St. Thomas.  After a lead off walk, Junior Adam Quiles was called upon to relieve Gonzalez.  After a walk, a strikeout and an infield single, Quiles was staring at a one out, bases loaded jam, with no room for error.  Quiles would preserve the victory for Gonzalez, earning the save after a strikeout and a flyout by the Raiders number five and six hitters.

With the victory, the Falcons move to 13-2 with two more home games this week before heading to South Carolina for the Hanahan Invitational Tournament.  The Falcons host the Deerfield Beach Bucks on Wednesday and the McArthur Mustangs on Friday, with both games starting at 6:30pm.