Charles W. Flanagan High School Baseball

The Flanagan Falcons (20-2) defeated Starr's Mill, GA (13-4), 10-6, to claim the 2009 Hanahan Invitational Tournament (H.I.T.) championship on Friday night at Hanahan High School in South Carolina.  It was a fitting end for a Falcons ballclub that went a perfect 5-0 in defeating teams from South Carolina, West Virginia and Georgia during the week long spring break event that was celebrating its 40th year.  With the victory, the Falcons, ranked #10 in the latest USA Today Super 25 high school baseball rankings, extended their winning streak to eight games.

After the Panthers picked up a run on starter Mark Peterson in the top of the first inning, the Falcons sent eleven men to the plate in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on hits from Ricky Santiago (2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR) and Zach Jackson (2-4, R, RBI) and six walks to take a 5-1 lead.  In the second inning, follwing a home run and a few hit batsmen,  Starr's Mill would cut the Flanagan lead to 5-3 chasing Peterson, who was relieved by eventual winner Adam Quiles (3 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 4 BB). 

The Falcons would get one of those runs back in the bottom half of the second when Danny Rojo-Campos (1-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB) drove in Pichi Torres (1-3, 2 R, BB) to extend the lead to 6-3.  In the top of the third inning, the Panthers got a run closer at 6-4 after a solo homer from cather David Norman, but the Falcons answered yet again when Santiago blasted his team leading 8th home run of the year, a two-run blast to center, extending the lead to 8-4.

After a quiet fourth inning for both ballclubs, the Panthers drew three consecutive walks in the top of the 5th off Quiles, who gave way to Andres Ortegano (2 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K, BB).  However, after a wild pitch on a strikeout and a Flanagan error, Starr's Mill had again made it interesting and the Falcons were holding on to an 8-6 lead.  Flanagan would get the lead back to four runs in the bottom of the fifth when Justin Frias (1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB) drove in Geoff Jimenez (0-1, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB), and Collin Martindale (0-1, 3 R, 3 BB) scored on a wild pitch.  The 10-6 lead was all Ortegano would need, as he struck out four Panthers in the final two innings, earning his first save of the season.

After the game, the Falcons received additional accolades, as Ricky Santiago, Pichi Torres, Corey Janson and Nick Basto were selected to the All-Tournament Team, with Santiago earning the Tournament MVP.  The Falcons now head home for a date with another out of state opponent, when Great Bridge, VA visits Falcons Field on Tuesday, 4/14, at 6:30pm.  Please click on the headline above to link into the Hanahan Invitational Tournament website.