State wait worth it for Dwyer, Jupiter
It took Jupiter two days to fifind out whether it would have to book a trip to Fort Myers. Dwyer needed three.
Inclement weather forced the Warriors to stop their regional fifinal against Parkland- Douglas in the ninth inning high school games are seven innings, not nine.), while the Panthers’ game against Miami-Belen Jesuit didn’t start until Friday after being scheduled for Tuesday.
For both teams, it was worth the wait, as they will travel to Hammond Stadium to play in the state semififinals this week. Dwyer plays Ponte Vedra-Nease at 1 p.m. today and Jupiter plays Orlando-Timber Creek at 7 p.m. Friday. Here is a look at each game: Dwyer ( 25-5) vs. Ponte Vedra-Nease ( 19-11): As the regular season ended and the playoffffs began, Nease was a blip on the radar screen. It was an honorable mention in the fifinal state Class 7A poll. Since then, however, Nease has been on a roll, beating Ocala-Vanguard, routing St. Augustine and then upsetting the top team in the class, Cantonment-Tate, to make the state semifinals. Dwyer has had a similar ride, beating Jensen Beach in the regional semifinals before topping Belen Jesuit on a walk-offff throwing error in the regional fifinals. Pitching will be key for Dwyer in the semififinal — Nease scored 18 runs against St. Augustine — but it would be hard for coach Frank Torre to choose wrong when it comes to picking a starter. Top starters Justin Alintoffff and Shane Roberts have a combined 0.84 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 108 innings.
Jupiter (22-6-2) vs. Orlando-Timber Creek (23-7): The story remains the same for the Warriors: The offffffffffffense has the chance to explode at any time. Jupiter has one of the deepest lineups in Palm Beach County, if not in the state of Florida. Ole Miss signee Anthony Servideo, who is hitting .426 with 15 steals, leads offffffffffff, and Florida State signee Reese Albert (.319, three home runs), LSU signee Mason Doolittle (.275, two home runs) and more follow. That lineup has a tough test Friday. The Warriors will likely face Wolves workhorse Bret Neilan, who has gone 14-0 and logged 93 innings this year. He has a minuscule 0.83 ERA.