Palm Beach Gardens High baseball loses regional thriller to Stoneman Douglas on walk-off HR

PARKLAND — One pitch away.

Palm Beach Gardens was one pitch away from beating nationally-ranked Parkland-Stoneman Douglas for the second time this season. 

One pitch away from a regional championship. 

One pitch away from a trip to the state tournament. 

"I'm not gonna lie," Gators first baseman Cade Bush said. "I felt like we had it."

And then the Region 3-7A final turned on the most improbable of plays — one that will be remembered for years by anyone who was on the field, in the dugout or in the stands.

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This was the set-up: Palm Beach Gardens led 4-3 with two outs in the seventh inning. Stoneman Douglas had a runner on second, thanks to a bunt single and a sacrifice. Right-hander Dominic Stagliano, who had retired 11 of the previous 12 batters, threw a 1-2 pitch to Gavin Conticello, the Eagles' No. 2 hitter.

Conticello lofted a fly ball to left field, well-hit but seemingly not deep enough to cause trouble. Just after contact, Gators fans prepared to celebrate and Eagles coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said he thought to himself, "That's not good." 

Except ...

Left fielder Zane Coppersmith, who had played solid defense all game, stumbled and fell while turning to go back on the ball. Before he could get to his feet, the ball dropped a few feet away and Chris McKenna scored the tying run.

As the Eagles' players rushed out of the dugout to greet McKenna, and their fans roared, Palm Beach Gardens' fans stood shell-shocked.

And then came the crushing blow. On the very next pitch, Santiago Ordonez, the Eagles' No. 3 hitter, drilled a two-run homer over the left-field fence. In a matter of minutes, a 4-3 victory for the Gators had turned into a 6-4 defeat.

"I guess God didn't want it to go our way," said third baseman Aidan Meola, his eyes still red after commiserating with his teammates.

Coach Joe Russo let his players deal with the shock and disappointment for about 10 minutes before calling them together in left field for their traditional postgame talk.

"There's really nothing you can say," Russo said. "We fought hard; it just wasn't meant to be. Being that close to closing it out and not getting it done ..."

The Gators (22-6) and Eagles (26-2) appeared to be on a collision course all season. When they met in late February, Gardens won 7-4, handing Stoneman Douglas one of its two losses. Each won district tournaments and survived hard-fought regional semifinals, the Gators beating Palm Beach Central 3-1, and the Eagles edging Park Vista 5-3.

"We knew coming into the season we were the best two teams in the region," Bush said.

Even before the dramatic finish, the game was a classic. 

The Eagles jumped on Stagliano for three runs in the third on RBI doubles by Roman Anthony, Ordonez and Jake Clemente — all juniors who have committed to Division I programs. 

The Gators struck right back in the top of the fourth. Bush walked and Jayden Hylton blasted a home run to left-center to make it 3-2. Coppersmith doubled and, two outs later, No. 8 hitter Billy Reid ended an 11-pitch at-bat with an RBI single to tie the score.

Palm Beach Gardens took the lead in the fifth when AJ Hunerberg walked with the bases loaded. 

While Stagliano was settling in and keeping the powerful Eagles at bay, the Gators missed a chance to add to their lead in the top of the seventh. Bush doubled, Hylton was hit by a pitch and Coppersmith singled to load the bases with none out. But Sam Beir, the third Eagles pitcher, worked out of trouble with a strikeout, a force at the plate and another strikeout.

That set the stage for the seventh-inning fireworks that sent the Eagles to the state tournament, where they will face Miami-Columbus in the semifinals, and ended the Gators' season.

Fitz-Gerald, who has built one of the state's strongest programs and was coaching in his 12th regional final, spent the first few minutes after the game consoling the distraught Palm Beach Gardens players.

"You hate to see anyone lose that game," he said. "I have a lot of respect for those guys over there — Bush, Meola, coach Russo, all of them. I'm happy for us, disappointed for them. These might be the two best teams in the state of Florida."

Russo, meanwhile, has to bid farewell to the core of his senior-dominated team. Bush is headed to Florida State, Meola to Oklahoma State, Stagliano to Stetson, others to smaller colleges.

"I asked a lot of these seniors," Russo said. "This is one of the most enjoyable seasons I've had as a coach. It was fun to come to the ballpark every day with these guys."

"I love these guys," Bush said, brushing back tears.