LAKE WORTH ― Park Vista baseball notched the opening blow over Jupiter on Friday night in a playoff series Palm Beach County has been eagerly anticipating.
In a pitching matchup between two of the county’s top aces, Park Vista’s Cody Wexler got the upper hand, leading the Cobras to a 5-1 victory in Game 1 of the Class 7A regional semifinal on May 1.
Park Vista (19-5) will look to close out the defending state runner-ups in Game 2 on Saturday. A deciding third game will be played afterward if necessary.
How it happened
A two-run shot by Park Vista’s Owen Dever iced a game that was far closer than the score might suggest.
With Jupiter (18-10) nursing a 1-0 lead, Caleb Smith stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning with the bases loaded and two outs.
The center fielder took what looked very close to a called third strike from Jupiter ace Ethan Trivison, a Clemson commit, sparking outcries and sighs of relief from opposing stands.
The next pitch made it all look frivolous. Smith sent a shallow fly into center field and once again, Trivison looked to have worked his magic to escape a jam.
But the ball, lost in the light, fell to the grass next to scrambling Jupiter outfielders as the Cobras runners all dutifully crossed home plate.
It was a wild turn. Jupiter fans shouted down the umpiring crew, believing that the so-called missed strike call had unfairly taken the game out of hand.
“I don’t know where I’m sitting,” head coach Larry Greenstein said. “I’m sure it was close. They got a big reaction out of it. That’s baseball, you know? Maybe the baseball gods are smiling upon us today, you know? I mean, I’m talking about a game of inches. I couldn’t tell you where that pitch was.”
For his part, Smith sure seemed confident.
“I thought it was low,” he said. “I saw the pitch pretty well. And at first when I looked up, the catcher glove looked like it was there, but I knew it was low. And he threw me one inside. I hit it up and, you know . . . God. That’s all it is.”
Park Vista, unperturbed, were not eager to give up their gift from “Lady Luck,” nor their newfound momentum.
Owen Dever added to the Warriors’ misfortune, crushing a home run over the left field fence to stake the Cobras to a 5-1 lead.
Wexler, who has maintained a sub 1.00 earned run average all season long, held strong, turning a fourth-inning scare that featured a triple by Jupiter’s Colby Smith into a mere blip on the radar.
“Just got to trust the defense,” Wexler said. “Even if they hit the ball, know that they’re back there. We’ve got Caleb in center that just runs the ball down. Funny enough, that was my friend that hit the triple. But, just got to fight for myself, throw the pitches I know, work the counts down there, and to try and find the umpire’s zone.”
Though he saw his scoreless innings streak come to an end, Wexler finished with a stellar line of seven innings pitched, three hits and one run. He struck out six, appearing to look more and more deadly with his location as the game wore on.
“He keeps them off balance,” Greenstein said. “He trusts his defense time and time again. I know we definitely play better when he’s on the mound. They in turn trust him to do his job and he’s been phenomenal. I love that kid, you know. Helps me out when I need it. He’s just a team guy. He just wants to play ball.”
Despite the score, all runs against Trivison were marked unearned. He finished the game with four hits and five unearned runs, striking out eight across six innings pitched.
His 0.68 ERA will therefore remain sparkling ― even if that doesn’t ease the discomfort of taking the tough-luck loss.
The Warriors, unable to figure out the Cobras hurler, will now turn to Saturday needing back-to-back wins to advance — while Park Vista is exactly where they want to be.
“It feels good,” Dever said. “We knew this one was big. I mean, we got two guys that are ready for the first game tomorrow that we feel we trust in, and we know what’s at stake and we want it. So we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Park Vista baseball takes down Jupiter for series opening victory
Reporting by Alexander Peterman, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
