Zac Esmiston and Gian De Castro. {Isabelle De Castro}
By: Matt Rothman
The back-to-back State Champions are officially back, with North Broward Prep going 3-0 in the HSBN First Pitch Elite Classic this week.
It is the first time since 2018 NBP has started 3-0. In their first game against American Heritage, Mauricio Bejarano and Nikolas Koorse both had a pair of RBIs, while Gian De Castro and Riley Luft had one. Mateo Gray also had two hits in his first game. On the mound, Ryan McPherson made the start for NBP and got the win before Luft earned the save, pitching the final three innings in their 9-5 win.
NBP then beat Monsignor Pace in their second game on Wednesday. After jumping out to a 6-1 lead, the Spartans responded with four runs in the top of the seventh. However, Nathanael Coupet threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the game.
North Broward Prep Baseball. {Isabelle De Castro}
Koorse and AJ Culter drove in two runs, while De Catsro and Gray knocked in one. Gray won after tossing three hitless innings before Dylan Radtke pitched the final three innings, and Nate Hernandez recorded the save.
Despite winning their first two games, NBP did not advance to the Championship Game due to a run differential. However, they finished off the week with a 3-0 win over ABF Academy. Gray knocked in the first run with an RBI single before Coupet doubled in two more runs.
The Cowboys got one run back in the fifth, but Koorse stranded the bases loaded to protect their 3-1 lead before Gray added his third hit of the game to make it 4-1. Once again, ABF Academy loaded the bases in the seventh, but Luft allowed only one run to preserve the 4-2 victory. Maxwell Burkholz picked up the win, pitching three scoreless innings.
The Eagles also had their two-way star player Yoel Tejada Jr. make his debut for the Florida Gators. The 2022 graduate pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning on Saturday in their 16-2 win. He barely broke a sweat, pouring the strike zone and recording a pair of ground outs as well as a flyout and then made his first career start on Wednesday against USF.
Yoel Tejada Jr. {NBP Athletics}
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Author Profile
- Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.
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