Big 2nd inning sends Dwyer to region final

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Jensen Beach gave Dwyer first baseman Kyle Khachadourian t wo extra lives in his first at-bat Tuesday, and it came back to haunt the Falcons.

After the Jensen Beach first baseman misplayed a foul pop-up, Khachadourian reached second on a throwing error by the shortstop, keying a five-run rally that gave Dwyer all it needed to beat Jensen Beach 5-3 in the Class 7A regional semifinals in Palm Beach Gardens.

“I t wa s h u g e b e c a u s e against a good te am like t hat wit h good pi t c hi ng, if they give you an opportunit y, you’ve got to take advantage,” Dwyer coach Frank Torre said. “Especially (because) we had the middle of the order coming up there.”

The Falcons (20-8) jumped ahead early in the second inning when pitcher Jacob Winger launched a home run to left-center field. But Winger’s luck ran out in the

bottom half of the inning.

A f t e r K h a c h a d o u r i a n reached second, Max Howard drove him in with a single to tie the game. Michael Siriani walked to load the bases, and the Panthers (245) went ahead on another walk to Myles Colangelo.

The big hit of the game came one hitter later, when shortstop Danny Lynch drove a double that got past the right fielder, clearing the bases for a 5-1 lead.

The five runs proved to be enough, as Dwyer starter Shane Roberts dominated Jensen for much of the game.

The South Carolina commit settled in after giving up the home run, retiring the next 12 batters he faced. But in the sixth inning, he ran into trouble, giving up

a single, a walk and a tworun triple that bounced over the left fielder’s head.

“He was c o mmanding the breaking ball, up until the last inning or so, really well,” Torre said. “And that was the difference.”

Justin Alintoff came in with two outs in the sixth inning, striking out Winger to end the threat. Alintoff set down the Falcons in order in the seventh to lock up the win.

Dwyer will play MiamiBelen Jesuit in the regional finals on May 23. Belen Jesuit eliminated Dwyer last year, giving the Panthers no shortage of motivation next week.

“It’s big,” Torre said, “and I know these guys are looking forward to it.”