West Broward baseball overcomes errors to walk-off South Dade as Burnside bids farewell

West Broward junior Jason Wachs experienced the full highs and lows you can in a baseball game on Wednesday.

Wachs, a Tulane commit, struggled on the mound early on while the defense behind him committed error after error, putting the Bobcats behind by four runs and their season in jeopardy.

Wachs then tied the game with a wild trip around the bases in the fourth inning.

He then played first base - a position he doesn’t normally play and even provided a spectacular sliding catch to keep the game knotted in extra innings.

So when he watched from second base as sophomore Andrew Alvarez ended things with a walk-off single in the ninth, Wachs was relieved that he and the rest of West Broward’s baseball team were moving on in the playoffs following a dramatic 6-5 win over South Dade in a Region 4-7A quarterfinal.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today but I tried to help my team any way possible,” Wachs said. “After that play, the energy shifted and everyone was hyped.”

West Broward (17-8) moved past the regional quarterfinal round for the first time since 2016 and will try to make it to the regional finals for the first time since 2012 when it heads down to Miami to face Columbus on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Explorers defeated West Broward 12-6 on April 22.

The game marked the final game in South Dade coach Fred Burnside’s distinguished career as the Bucs (14-7-3) fell short in their first regional playoff appearance since 2017.

Burnside, who returned to South Dade four years ago after a brief retirement, has coached for 52 years overall in Miami-Dade County with prior stints at Miami Killian, Miami Southridge and at the college level at Miami-Dade College and Southeastern Louisiana. Burnside guided the Bucs to their lone state championship in 2014. He also led Southridge to a pair of state runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2002 when his teams were ranked in the top 10 nationally. As an associate head coach under Charlie Greene in 1981, he helped Miami-Dade win a junior-college national title.

Burnside, a Miami Palmetto alum who lives in Key Largo and began his coaching career at age 24, finishes with a remarkable 552-198-3 record including a 198-87-3 mark during his combined 12 seasons at South Dade.

After a brief, two-year retirement, the now 76-year-old Burnside returned and made it a goal in recent years to bring the Bucs’ program back to prominence.

“We had several chances and just couldn’t get it done,” Burnside said. “But I’m proud of the kids. We’ve come a long way and they’ve overcome a lot of obstacles.”

The Bobcats committed six errors overall, five of which contributed to South Dade gradually building a 5-1 lead over the first four innings.

Wachs ended up getting credit for three RBI on the game-tying play after he smoked a pitch from South Dade starter Oskar Amaya to left field and the ball got past left fielder Joniel O’Farrill, clearing the bases. An ensuing error at third by South Dade gave Wachs an opening to race home and tie the game at 5.

There things stayed thanks largely in part to a strong relief effort from junior J.P. Querales, who allowed only one run over six innings and struck out three. Wachs’ diving catch sliding into the fence in front of the Bucs’ dugout on a pop-up by Corey Rodriguez in the ninth inning also shut down one of South Dade’s best chances late.

In the ninth, Wachs nearly had the walk-off hit when he put the ball in play in the infield with the bases loaded, but the Bucs were able to get the force out at home. Alvarez, however, lined a ball sharply into left field moments later to score Carlos Garcia and end the game.

“(Wachs) is a warrior and he didn’t have his best stuff, but a lot of the damage wasn’t his fault,” West Broward coach Howard Stein said. “He made three big-league plays over there at first. Sometimes, a ‘grand slam’ doesn’t have to go 500 feet.”

Burnside had nothing but praise for South Dade and his staff, which includes longtime assistant coach Steve Rogers (who is also stepping down) as well as former major leaguer Nelson Santovenia, who played for Burnside at Southridge and Miami-Dade College.

“He was one of my biggest mentors when I started playing organized baseball,” Santovenia said. “You always hear how life goes in a circle. I’m very honored to have coached with him his final year.”

Stein, who played on teams against Burnside in college, saluted the outgoing South Dade coach, saying he delivered a “master class” in coaching against them on Wednesday.

After the game, Burnside spoke to his players and coaches huddled up by their dugout. The team then broke the huddle with a shout of “1-2-3, Fred!”

“We had won a state title and won a few districts before I left the first time and we’ve done some of that again,” Burnside said. “You always want more, right? One more game. But it’s been a joyride for me.

“I love the competition. I love the challenge of getting a ball club together, and I got to coach for an outstanding school. The administration, everybody, has been behind us and supported us. We have one of the nicest facilities in town and the community…When I went to South Dade, there was nothing but a picnic table behind home plate, and now it’s a first-class facility.”

MORE SCORES

Region 4-7A quarterfinals - Stoneman Douglas 14, Monarch 1; Columbus 10, Boca Raton 0; Taravella 5, Western 1.

Region 4-6A quarterfinal - Doral Academy 6, Nova 0: Zachary Cowart threw five shutout innings and struck out five to lead the Firebirds (22-6). Kyler Gonzalez pitched two scoreless innings with one strikeout. Daniel Restrepo went 1 for 3 with two RBI and Sebastian Berrios went 1 for 2 with three RBI. Alejandro Ludeiro went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Adrian Santana went 1 for 3 with two runs scored. Doral hosts Varela on Saturday in the regional semifinals at 1 p.m.

Region 4-6A quarterfinals - Varela 8, St. Thomas Aquinas 3: The Vipers (17-4-1) rallied from a 3-1 deficit with five runs in the sixth to win their first ever regional playoff game.

Region 4-6A quarterfinals - West Boca 6, Southwest 2; Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 2, Cooper City 1.