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Tournaments  | Championship  | 7/19/2024

Pokers Take Home the 17u BCS

Hannah Jo Groves     
In a championship game that was extra long due to a two-and-a-half-hour lightning delay, the Original Pokers won over CBU 2025 Scout Team Rowland 8-4.

The stadium at JetBlue Park became increasingly crowded with hoards of parents, siblings and friends crowding under the overhang’s shade.



These onlookers could be heard from outside of the stadium cheering as the bats were hot in the first couple innings for both teams.

Third baseman and FAU commit Jonathan Lopez was the first to get things going for the Pokers, lining a laser out to centerfield to get the first run of the game in. Then came a sacrifice fly from FGCU commit Cole Lasher and a grounder for a RBI single from second baseman and Tournament MVP Andrew Alvarez, tacking on his first of 3 RBIs he contributed in championship match.

"I was just trying to get a first pitch fastball,” Alvarez said. "My guys in front of me, Nick Diaz and Cole Lasher, they passed the bat to me and it was good…Hard 10 games, hot weather, and we just pushed through. We came out on top and I love it. I love the feeling.”

CBU was quick to strike back, however, with Jackson Geiger hitting a well-struck ball out to right field for a RBI double and Linking Garcia lining one to left for another RBI.

Both teams tacked on one more run in the second inning. But as things settled down and the game became more of a defensive battle in the bottom of the sixth, dark clouds rolled in and warranted the dreaded lightning alarm to stop play. Parents and some players headed back to their cars to wait things out in the air conditioning while other players stayed in the dugout and did a multitude of things to keep themselves occupied.

"Honestly, I was just watching TikTok,” said left-handed pitcher Luke Cherry. "I was trying to keep myself moving around, though. I ordered some Tropical Smoothie Cafe, too.”

The smoothie would prove to fuel Cherry, as he came back on the mound with a vengeance for the Florida Pokers after the weather delay. In three innings of work, Cherry struck out 2, allowed 2 hits, 1 earned run and 1 walk over 46 pitches. His fastball topped out at 88 mph and stayed in the high-80s range and his slider stayed in the mid-70s.

"Honestly, it was like I’ve been here before. For Stoneman Douglas High School… I did the same thing in the state championships. Nothing new.”

Since the game was delayed, many of the young baseball players participating in the 13U PG Series Classic filled the stadium leading up to their opening ceremony and caught the last inning of the 17U championship game.

"I think they saw what some pretty good pitching” Pokers ’coach Rob Georgiou said. "Luke came in and really pitched great.”

While tacking on four more runs in the last two innings, the Pokers ’defense held CBU to only one added run after the delay.

Georgiou said the team’s almost ten-year chemistry was a big factor in their success not only in this game, but throughout the whole tournament.

"Most of these guys have been together since they were 8 or 9. This is their last hurrah this summer and it’s awesome to watch them go out like this.”
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