The Week's Baseball

  A season of comparative struggle for South Dade baseball suddenly became a whole lot brighter on Monday night thanks to a thrilling 7-5 upset victory over Killian in the District 16-8A semifinals.

  After nearly missing out on the playoffs all together, a fate shared by Coral Reef and Southridge, South Dade faced off against top-seeded Killian for a spot in the regional tournament and a chance for the district title.

Starting pitcher Junior Gorordo led the way for South Dade, keeping the Cougars at bay early as the Buccaneers peppered Killian for six runs in the first three innings.

  Christian Ibanez and Alek Manoah both drove in runs during that period, topping off strong performances for both players.

  After allowing just two runs over four innings, pitcher Kendrick Pico came in for three innings of relief work to help guide South Dade home for the win.

Redland Advances     South Dade Upsets Killian in District Semifinals. Reland Advances To District Finals

Redland Christian’s baseball team advanced to the District 16-2A finals with a 4-3 win over Island Christian.

  Despite the routine stat line, how the Falcons got there was anything but.

  After taking an early lead, the Falcons saw themselves knotted at 3 runs each with Island Christian heading to the bottom of the sixth inning.

  With a Redland Christian runner on third, Island Christian was called for a baulk, bringing in what would prove to be the winning run for Redland Christian.

Coral Shores Advances

  Coral Shores baseball utilized timely hitting from Ian Thompson and Kyle Gates to power their way to a dominant 11-4 win over Ransom Everglades in the District 16-4A quarterfinals.

  Thompson led the way, going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI.

  Gates added two hits and an RBI of his own to the mix.

  Sean Walters drove in four RBI while Cody Richards, Daryl Chou, and Fernando Garcia each added a run on offense to help send Coral Shores past their rivals.

Westminster Volleyball Wins

  Westminster Christian’s boys volleyball team defeated Pace in a thrilling five set victory (22-25, 25-13, 25-18, 20-25, 19-17).

  In a match that went to extra points in the fifth set, Westminster Christian was led by Danny Verdeja’s 18 kill performance.

  JP Alvarenga added 45 assists while TJ North tallied 11 kills.

  Sam Zakka had 16 points on service and added 12 digs on defense.

Wrestling District Finalized

  After expected appeals, FHSAA has finalized the state’s boys wrestling districts for the next four years.

  Palmer Trinity, Coral Shores, Keys Gate, and Westminster Christian will join the likes of Island Christian, Key West, Marathon, Riviera Prep, Ransom Everglades, and Pinecrest Prep in District 16-1A.

  Homestead, originally assigned to District 16-2A, their current location, were granted their appeal and will now sit alongside South Dade, Coral Reef, Southridge, Varela, Killian, and Palmetto in District 16-3A.