By Gary Curreri

So much for the home field advantage.

Deerfield Beach Select All-Stars coach Joe Silvia believed his team had a home field advantage when it took the diamond in the Big League Baseball State Tournament recently at Floyd Hull Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale.

Deerfield Beach (2-2) opened the tournament with a 12-2 victory over Port St. Lucie before dropping a 6-1 decision to Clearwater/ Dunedin, the defending Big League World Champions.

“They played hard, but when we lost to Clearwater/ Dunedin it took the wind out of them,” Silvia said. “That was the championships game on Saturday.”

Deerfield Beach seized the lead in the top of the first inning on an infield single by Brendly Martina that scored Blake Guisti for a 1-0 advantage before Clearwater/ Dunedin rallied for the victory and advanced to this weekend’s Southeast United States Regional Tournament that gets underway July 17, also at Floyd Hull Stadium.

Justin Glover got things rolling for Clearwater/Dunedin with a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Clearwater/Dunedin padded its lead with one more run in the fourth and four runs in the fifth thanks to a bases-clearing double by Ian Lisle.

Deerfield Beach pitcher Nick Ferngren, who had his first no-hitter since he was 11 in a 10-0 sectional win over Ft. Lauderdale, didn’t allow a hit until Glover hit his round tripper in the fourth inning.

Ferngren, 19, of Coral Springs, is in his first year on the team.

“I love it,” said Ferngren, who recently graduated from Cardinal Gibbons and headed to Rhodes College in Memphis, TN to play for the school next year. “The camaraderie is great. It is like family here. Most of the guys on the team have been here for like three years and they make me feel like I have been here just as long.”

It is the first year playing Big League baseball. He previously played for the South Florida Huskies in a showcase league.

“I have only been pitching for a couple of years now,” Ferngren said. “I didn’t get a lot of innings in high school. I am not surprised with how well I have done. I expect a lot out of myself.”

Deerfield Beach went on to split its next two games as it downed Dade City, 11-7, before closing out the tournament with an 8-5 setback against Ft. Myers to finish second overall.

Silvia has coached for 27 years and coached Big League baseball for the past 11 years.

In 2010, the team was one out away from winning the state tournament as it fell to the same Clearwater/Dunedin squad. The team was up 5-4 with two outs and the outfielder missed the catch and three runs wound up scoring for a 7-5 victory.

“This team is one of the better teams we have had in seven or eight years,” Silvia said. “This team gelled together. They are all friends and they all support each other. There was no negativity on this team. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

Deerfield Beach had played seven contests at Floyd Hull during the season. The team was composed of players from eight different high schools. Martina, Ferngren, Dalton Williams and Drexler Maccaay paced the team among others.

“We graduate about half the team,” Silvia said. “They were a great group of kids.”