Sharks Advance to FCSAA Championship Game with 11-4 Win over Chipola

Tampa, FL - The 24th-ranked Miami Dade College Sharks are headed to the FCSAA Division I Baseball Championship game after an 11-4 victory over Chipola College on Friday night in Tampa.

Miami Dade broke open a tight game with a relentless offensive attack, scoring in five consecutive innings while collecting 13 hits and allowing just five. The Sharks now sit one win away from the program's first FCSAA state title since 2021.

After three scoreless innings to open the contest, Miami Dade struck first in the fourth. With two runners aboard, William Polanco launched a three-run home run to right field to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead. The sophomore outfielder finished the night 3-for-5 with four RBIs and six total bases.

Chipola answered immediately with a two-run homer from Kane Moye in the bottom half of the inning, but Miami Dade continued to apply pressure offensively.

The Sharks added three more runs in the fifth inning. Jendy Gonzalez drove in Adrian Areizaga with an RBI single before Miguel Colmenares delivered an RBI infield single that later turned into a two-run play following a Chipola throwing error, extending the lead to 6-2.

Chipola trimmed the deficit to 6-4 through six innings, but Miami Dade's bullpen shut the door from there.

Jose Villegas earned the win in relief after escaping a fifth-inning jam, while TJ Socarras delivered a dominant three-inning save. The right-hander struck out six batters and allowed just two hits over the final three frames.

Offensively, the Sharks continued to separate late. Colmenares tripled home Willy Mendez in the seventh before Leamsi Montanez followed with an RBI double down the left field line. Miami Dade added three more insurance runs in the eighth, highlighted by RBI hits from Mendez and Polanco.

Mendez finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored, Gonzalez crossed the plate three times while stealing two bases, and Colmenares added two hits and two RBIs.

Jeffred Fermin got the start for Miami Dade, striking out five over 4.1 innings before the bullpen combined to finish the game.

With the victory, the Sharks remain unbeaten in the tournament and advance to the FCSAA Championship game on Saturday.