Charles W. Flanagan High School Baseball

It took a final at bat comeback, but after a stunning end to their 2009 campaign, the Flanagan Falcons (19-2) are back in the 6A-District 12 championship game, following a dramatic 5-4 victory over a pesky and determined Western Wildcats ballclub. 

Falcons starter Pichi Torres (7 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K) threw an efficient 87 pitches to improve to 7-1 with his 5th complete game of the year.  Torres retired the side on four occasions and only faced 5 over the minimum.  However, after allowing the 2nd 2-run homer of the game in the top of the 6th, Torres found himself trailing 4-3.

After the Falcons went down in order in the bottom of the 6th, Torres kept the deficit to one run in the top of the seventh, and the Falcons were down to their final three outs.  Ryan Lozada (1-3, R) led off with an 0-1 single to right field and Geoffrey Jimenez (1-2, 2 R, BB, HBP) was beaned attempting a sacrifice bunt.  Both runners advanced a base on a pitch in the dirt, but could not advance on a subsequent 5-3 groundout.  With men on 2nd and 3rd, junior shortstop Ricky Santiago (2-4, R, RBI) would tie it at 4-4 with a single to left field to score Lozada and move Jimenez to 3rd, but would record the 2nd out attempting to advance to 2nd base.  The Wildcats chose to walk Torres (1-3, 2B, RBI, BB), putting men on the corners for Mike Melendez (1-3, R, GW RBI), who made them pay by driving in Jimenez with a deep line drive single that tailed away from the diving leftfielder.

Matthew Beauchemin (2-3, 2B, RBI) and Cory Janson (1-3, RBI) drove in key runs for the Falcons in the two-run 4th inning, and the Flanagan defense was flawless.  The Falcons now take on the West Broward Bobcats, 4-1 semifinal winners over Cooper City, at Western High School in the final on Wednesday, 4/28, 7pm.