Anderson’s Arm, Diaz’ Blast, Carry American Heritage To State Final

Fans packed into Digital Domain Park on Thursday afternoon looking to get a glimpse of projected first-round draft pick Lane McCullers from Tampa Jesuit. McCullers pitched well, but what the fans were really treated to was a pitching performance for the ages from American Heritage junior Shaun Anderson.

Anderson out-dueled McCullers for much of the afternoon, and while neither team was able to push across a run through the first seven innings, Patriots second baseman had a message for his teammate before Diaz strode to the plate with two runners on in the eighth.

“He told me he was going to get me the “W,” said Anderson.

What happened next was the stuff of legend. Diaz delivered on his word, hitting a three-run blast to left field that gave Anderson the win and sent the Patriots to the state finals for the first time since 2008. Heritage will play Ponte Vedra at 7 tonight for the Class 5A title.

“We’ve been playing games like this all year, where we strand runners on base,” said Diaz. “I was looking for a fastball, that’s all he was throwing me in my last at-bat. I just wanted to hit the ball hard to the outfield and try to get one run in. When it went out…wow…it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”

For much of the game, it appeared as though one run would be enough to carry either team to the championship game, but neither pitcher would blink. Anderson gave up a hit in the second, the only one he allowed during a seven-inning, 92-pitch performance.

The second inning proved to be Jesuit’s biggest threat, pushing runners to first and second before Anderson struck out Ricky Escobar to end the threat.

“I felt confident today,” said Anderson. “I knew i was up against one of the top pitchers in the country, who is committed to Florida, just like me, so i knew it was going to be a battle. I didn’t try to match his velocity, I just wanted to hit my spots and let my defense work behind me.”

Being in a low-scoring game is nothing new for the Patriots when Anderson is on the mound, and the junior has become accustomed to having to stay dialed in at all times.

“I’m used to it. Every time I pitch, it seems like to score is 1-0, or 2-1, so that keeps me more focused on the game and every pitch I throw.”

Anderson tried lobbying with head coach Bruce Aven to stay in the game, but the manager won out, choosing to send Domenick Mancini out in the eighth. Mancini proceeded to close out the game with little problem, showing the depth the Patriots have on the mound.

“We really have two or three aces we could use on any day,” said Aven. “Today we went with Shaun to start because Domenick is a little better at getting warmed up quick out of the pen. But when you can go from a guy like Shaun to a guy like Domenick, that’s pretty special. And we have other guys also that we can count on on the mound, so it’s a nice problem to have.”

Pitching is usually what carries teams this deep in the playoffs, but one Heritage hitter who was not intimated by McCullers’ first-round fastball was shortstop Brandon Lopez. The senior was 2-for-3 off the Jesuit ace.

“I was seeing the ball well,” said Lopez. “We worked all week on having a short stride, and going the other way. The game plan was to make him (McCullers) work and get him out of the game, so that’s what we tried to do.”

That may have been the plan early on, but Heritage quickly had to change gears when McCullers started getting ahead of each batter.

“All we heard was the scouting report, and the scouting report said he has the ability to be a little wild, and if he gets the curve or slider over, it’s going to be a tough day for you at the plate. All of a sudden, he’s getting those pitches over today, so we had to change our plan and become more aggressive. The plan worked, we just couldn’t come up with the big hit the first seven innings.”

The Patriots left 10 runners on base in the game, one each in every inning, and two in the first and seventh.

In the eighth, the redemption came in the form of one swing of the bat by Diaz, who suddenly was carrying out every players’ dream of hitting a game-changing, late-inning home run.

“I don’t even know what was going through my mind,” said Diaz, when asked his thoughts while rounding the bases. “I really just got goosebumps running around the bases, and when I saw all my teammates at home plate, I just wanted to get around to home and celebrate.”

The home run was set up by Brandon Vicens and Dallas Perez, who had walked and singled before the two-out blast.

Heritage now can focus on Ponte Vedra and its ultimate goal.

“This win was great, but we came here to win a state title, so we have to focus in for one more game and get the job done,” said Aven.

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