Mavericks Win Battle Of State Champions 10-2 Over Westminster Christian

Here is some advice for Broward teams that may have Archbishop McCarthy upcoming on their schedule. Hope the Mavericks were not no-hit in the week leading up to the game. Archbishop pounded the ball for the second straight night after being no-hit by Columbus on Monday, this time tallying seventeen hits on their way to a 10-3 win over defending state champion Westminster Christian.

The game was touted as one of the best that would be played in the Sunshine State this season, but Archbishop ensured that was not the case. The Mavericks got to Westminster ace Julian Loret De Mola early, and then piled on runs in the seventh inning to give McCarthy another big win over a national power.

Jose Brizuela was the catalyst for the Mavericks right from the start. Brizuela showed that he not only can use his speed to help the team, but also his powerful bat. The Mavericks lead-off hitter launched a home run to right field to get the scoring started on the night in the top of the first. Brizuela claims he was not trying to hit the home run.

“I was just trying to get on base,” said Brizuela of his first inning home run. “That’s my plan as a lead-off batter, every game I’m trying to get on base. If I get on base, I got guys behind me that can bring me in.”

Many of the guys behind Brizuela joined their lead-off batter in the hit parade for much of the night. Nick Basto went 2-for-4 in the two-hole, and Nick Travieso, the Archbishop clean-up hitter, went 3-for-5. It was Brizuela and Ivan Santos, however, that provided most of the fireworks on this night. Brizuela went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, and Santos was 4-for-4. The pair combined to score six of the Mavericks ten runs.

On the mound it was the cool hand of Alexander Fernandez that again was a calming force for McCarthy. Fernandez went six innings and worked out of several jams, the first of which came in the bottom of the first. The Warriors lead-off hitter Jameel Middlebrooks walked, and Anthony Gonzalez followed with a double. plating Middlebrooks.

Fernandez struck out the next two hitters, and then worked out of the inning when second baseman Jason Morozowski made a spectacular play moving to his left on a sharply hit ground ball.

“Big play,” said Mavericks Head Coach Rick Bielski, the coach then referenced another major play in the game by Morozowski, a double play on a hard hit liner in the sixth. “Jason made two game-changing plays tonight, without a doubt. Championships are won with pitching and defense, and those two plays he made tonight set the tone that we were going to play good defense. I’m very proud of Jason, he works very hard on his defense.”

Although they will not make it into the championship game of the Selective Recruiting Invitational, the Mavericks do come away from Wednesday’s game with the knowledge that they have now beaten a defending state champ.

“It was very exciting to see two state champions go against each other,” said Bielski. “Westminster Christian is definitely a quality team…..we had to play good ball to beat them, and we did that tonight.”

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