Dade Nationals Capture 7th Straight South Florida Baseball League Championship Trophy In Fall 22.
Usually when a team takes a six run lead early, it kind of deflates the balloon of air on the other side. In case one was wondering, that aforementioned other side was the Dade Nationals, who are quite accustomed to playoff baseball. And instead of wondering what the heck hit them, their mantra instead seemed to be, simply, “Get up there and slug.” The Nationals scored five times in a heartbeat, something their lineup constantly can do in the blink of an eye, and then exploded for 11 runs in the sixth, batting around twice. Alex Batista doubled twice, Ruben Peralta tripled, singled and doubled and was 3/4ths of the way to the cycle. Juan Batista singled twice and doubled. Angel Correa tripled and doubled and singled twice. Larry Hernandez and Ramon Alfonzo both went 4-6 and doubled twice. Robert Rodriguez and Ramon Alfonzo pitched and combined for the win, but their bats did most of the talking. The two combined for 6 hits in the offensive explosion.
Timely hits and some unfortunate defensive miscues by the Yankees cost them dearly. The Nationals led 17-11 late and the Yankees scored two runs in the 8th to make it 17-13. Reliever Reidy Oliva was holding the Nationals down and keeping the Yankees within striking distance. The Yankees scored 2 more in the 9th to make it 17-15 and had two runners on base in scoring position, but the comeback fell just short. Hats off to Player/Manager Orbeta and the his talented, resilient team as they prevailed in a game for the ages 17-15. The Southern Yankees scored 15 runs and lost. How often does that happen between two titans of SFBL baseball?
The Southern Yankees finished the season 8-4 before they made the dance, and were led by star pitcher Bobby Stallone and catcher Sam Bartoletta. Reidy Oliva was a stud with the bat in his hands and pitched outstanding in relief. Jeff Zagaria stroked hit after hit down the line and hit over .400 all season, but it wasn’t enough in the end to overcome the onslaught that the Nationals put on to eclipse them over the Yankees and win their 8th consecutive championship. “We did it together, and we’re going to do it again,” manager Jorge Orbeta said.
Dade Nationals Ramon Alfonzo MVP
