Charles W. Flanagan High School Baseball

The much anticipated district showdown between Flanagan and West Broward lived up to expectations, as it took a total team effort on offense from the boys in green to defeat the resilient Bobcats, 15-11, on the road Thursday afternoon.  The Falcons move to 10-1 on the season, winning their 8th in a row, while clinching the #1 seed in next month's 6A-District 12 tournament, with a perfect 5-0 district record.  For the third game in a row, the Falcons put up double digits in hits and runs, this time in support of starter Justin Machado ( 4 IP, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K), who improved to 6-0 on the season.  Additionally, for the second consecutive game, every Falcons starter had at least one hit, and six of them drove in at least one run.

Flanagan set the tone in the top of first inning, sending 10 men to the plate and coming away with a 6-0 lead, which they would extend to 7-0 by the end of two complete.   The Bobcats would get on the scoreboard with two runs in the 3rd inning to make it 7-2, and then plate two more in their half of the 5th, to cut the Flanagan lead to 8-4.  In the final two frames,  the two ballclubs traded offensive blows, with each team scoring three in the 6th and four in the 7th, to close it out at 15-11.

The Falcons hit parade was led by junior firstbaseman Mike Melendez, who finished the afternoon 3 for 5 with 3 RBI.  At the top of the Flanagan lineup, seniors Geoff Jimenez and Collin Martindale went 2-4 with a double and a stolen base, scoring 3 runs each in the process.  Pichi Torres (2-3, R, BB, HBP) and Corey Janson (2-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB) reached base safely on five occasions, and junior SS Ricky Santiago belted a two-run jack in the 6th inning, for his team leading 3rd home run and 18th RBI of the season.  Junior Matt Beauchemin also contributed, recording his first Varsity hit with a late inning, pinch hit single.

The boys in green now take their show on the road for four games during Spring Break at the Hofball National Classic in Orlando, opening up against the Seacrest Country Day Stingrays from Naples on Monday, 3/29, at 1pm.    

The Baby Falcons improved to 8-2 this season with a 2 game sweep of division opponent Everglades Gators. In game 1, Adam Murray (4 IP, 6 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 ER) moved to 4-0 in a 7-1 victory. Murray allowed his first run of the season through 15 innings pitched. Tyler Neville (2 IP, 2 H, 1 K) closed out the time shortened game. The Murray/Neville combination has only allowed 1 run in 3 games this season. Offensively, the Falcons scored their 7 runs on 9 hits. Charlie Kaniewski (1-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB), Christian Nelson (2-3, 1 R, 1 BB), Jadan Garcia (1-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB) and Rafael Betances (1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI) led the way. 

Game 2 looked like it was going to be de ja vu all over again. The Baby Falcons jumped out to a 5-0 lead, most of it on a 3 run homer by 3^rd baseman, Jose Mesa (1-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB). Mesa’s homer cleared the left field fence easily. Starting pitcher, David Thompson (4 2/3 IP, 1 H, 5 K, 5 BB, 2 ER), handled the Gators batters easily for 4 innings. The top half of the  5^th inning saw 3 Falcon errors, and 4 walks, which allowed the Gators to tie the game at 5 runs apiece. In the bottom of the 5^th, the Falcons came roaring back. Christian Nelson (1-2, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SB) got things started with a single. Jadan Garcia and Rafael Betances would also reach base to allow Carlos Lopez and Adrian Garces to drive in runs to finish the scoring at 8-5. Josh Santiago (1 1/3 IP, 0 H, O R, 1 BB) gets the win, in relief, while Peter Llerena closed out the 7^th inning for the save. Falcons pitchers only allowed 1 hit in the ballgame.  

Next up for the JV squad, a home double header vs Pines Charter on Saturday, March 27. First game is at 10:00 A.M..

It took a few innings to get going, but with each starter getting at least one hit, plus six of them driving in at least one run, and senior righthander Justin Machado (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K) turning in another solid effort, the Flanagan Falcons (9-1) remained undefeated in district play with a 10-0 run-rule win over district rival, Cypress Bay.  Machado improved to 5-0 and lowered his 2010 season ERA to 0.60.

Offensively, there were many contributors, with Ricky Santiago (2-4, 2 RBI), Matt Figueroa (1-4, R, 3 RBI), Ryan Lozada (1-2, 3 R) and Geoff Jimenez (1-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB) leading the way.  Corey Janson and Collin Martindale went 1 for 2, while Pichi Torres, Mike Melendez, and David Gonzalez each went 1-3 with an RBI.

The Falcons next travel to West Broward on Thursday, 3/25, at 3:45pm for a key district showdown against a tough Bobcats ballclub, before heading out to Orlando during spring break for the Hofball National Classic.       

It was the tale of 2 games. In game 1, the Baby Falcons could do no wrong. RHP, Jose Mesa Jr. (2-0) threw 4 innings and allowed only 1 run, off of 2 hits. Carlos Lopez (1 IP, 0 H, 2 K, 1 BB) threw for the first time this season, coming back from an injured throwing arm. The offense was led by RF, Adrian Garces (2-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB), Casey Torres (2-2, 1 R, 1 RBI) and CF, Christian Nelson (2-2, 1 R, 1 RBI). Defensively, the JV squad was solid and error free. The game ended in the bottom half of the 5^th inning because of time.  Final score: Falcons 7, Bobcats 1. 

Game 2 was a different story. The Bobcats would jump out to a 5-0 lead, due to Falcon errors. In all, the Baby Falcons would commit 7 errors in the game. The final score was 7-3, but only 3 of the runs were earned. On offense, the hitters that had been red hot, cooled down. Offensive contributors were Adrian Garces (2-3, 1 R), Danny Oliveri (2-3), A.J. Munoz (2-3) and Jadan Garcia (2-4, 1 R). The West Broward pitchers did their job in keeping the Falcons hitters from sparking any sort of rally.

The Baby Falcons (6-2) will look to get back to their winning ways on Wednesday, March 17, @ Taravella. Game time is 6:30 P.M.