Dwyer High baseball gives up late run to fall in 6A state semifinals
FORT MYERS — The Dwyer High baseball team's surprising run through the state playoffs ended with a thrilling finish, but one that did not go their way. Valrico-Bloomingdale scored a run in the seventh inning to edge the Panthers 3-2 in the Class 6A state semifinals on Friday night.
"We fought all the way through to the end," Dwyer coach Alex Morales said. "We've been playing great teams in great games. We just came up a little short. The effort from my boys today was terrific."
The game started out with both pitchers working off some jitters and then settling into a duel. Dwyer pitcher Drake Flowers, a Florida State commit, ran into trouble in the first inning, giving up an RBI single and double to trail by 2.
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Bloomingdale's Jack Owen ran into similar trouble in the home half of the inning. He threw two wild pitches, one that advanced Flowers and Jack Savery to second and third, and another that brought Flowers home. Matt Davis followed up with a single up the middle to score Savery and tie the game at 2.
Through the next 5 innings, it was all zeros, though there was some nail-biting in the top of the third. Back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases for Bloomingdale with nobody out.
"I knew when we got past that fourth hitter, even with the bases loaded, nobody out, I was thinking to myself, 'I think Drake Flowers is going to strike out the next three,'" Morales said.
He only struck out the next two, but the third batter flew out to right field, ending the threat. The game continued as a pitcher's duel through the sixth. Flowers finished with 7 strikeouts in six innings of work.
"Even for not having his greatest stuff, he was terrific tonight, too," Morales said.
Reliever Jorge DeCardenas took the hill in the top of the seventh, giving up a leadoff single to Bloomingdale third baseman Dawson Harmon. Pinch-runner Makye Hayes stole second. Gabe Garrett followed with a chopper up the middle just out of the reach of Dwyer second baseman Brady Jackson. Davis charged in from center field and threw home, but it was not in time to stop Hayes from giving the Bulls a 3-2 lead.
The Panthers went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
The team that surprised observers with regional wins over Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas and Miami-Doral Academy saw its season come to an end. But the team is young.
"The heart of our club and some of the best players on our team are juniors, sophomores, and freshmen," Morales said. "Now that Dwyer is back on the map as a strong team, I think kids around town are going to want to play with us, and we're going to be just as good next year."