Areizaga, Roque Lead Sharks Past Blinn in Grand Junction
Grand Junction, CO - The magic keeps rolling for the Sharks. Behind a late offensive explosion and lockdown relief pitching, Miami Dade defeated Blinn College 7-3 on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten at the JUCO World Series and move to 2-0 in Grand Junction.
After trailing entering the eighth inning, the Sharks erupted for five unanswered runs over the final two frames to pull away from the Bucs and position themselves just two wins away from the National Championship game.
Miami Dade struck first in the second inning when Leamsi Montanez ripped an RBI double into left-center field, bringing home William Polanco for the game's opening run. Blinn answered in the fourth on a solo home run from Zachary Tuxhorn before the Sharks reclaimed the lead an inning later behind an RBI single from Adrian Areizaga.
The back-and-forth battle continued as Blinn tied the game again in the fifth before taking its first lead in the seventh on an RBI single from Benji Barrera, putting Miami Dade in a 3-2 hole late.
That's when the Sharks answered.
With one swing in the top of the eighth, Areizaga delivered the biggest hit of the night, launching a solo home run down the left field line to even the score at 3-3. Moments later, Jendy Gonzalez ripped a double through the left side that forced a throwing error from Blinn third baseman Ryley Leininger, allowing Samuel Castro to score the go-ahead run.
The Sharks then added three insurance runs in the ninth inning, beginning with an RBI single from Castro. Gonzalez later drew a bases-loaded walk before Miguel Colmenares was hit by a pitch to force home another run, extending the lead to 7-3.
Areizaga paced the offense with a monster performance, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run, double, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Gonzalez added a double and two RBIs, while Montanez and Castro each drove in runs of their own.
Out of the bullpen, Kevin Roque delivered arguably the biggest outing of the postseason for Miami Dade. Entering in the fifth inning, Roque shut down the Blinn offense over 4.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out six to earn the win and improve to 6-2 on the season.
The Sharks also played flawless defense behind their pitching staff, turning multiple key double plays and committing no errors in the victory.
Miami Dade will face top-seeded Johnson County, as the Cavaliers enter the matchup as both the tournament's No. 1 overall seed and the No. 1 team in the latest NJCAA Division I rankings.
The matchup now features two of the hottest teams remaining in the tournament, with Miami Dade riding back-to-back victories after knocking off LSU Eunice and Blinn College.