American Prevails 5-1 Over St. Thomas In 7A Semifinal

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The goal for the American Patriots is a simple one that they have had all year, and that is to get themselves back on the bus headed to Fort Myers. Tuesday night the team moved one step closer to that goal, earning a big 5-1 victory over host St. Thomas Aquinas in a 7A regional semifinal played at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

After reaching the state Final Four a season ago, the Patriots (23-5) have focused all season long and getting back there and taking care of unfinished business. Now the ball club will host Dwyer in a 7A regional championship for the right to gas up the team bus and head back to their ultimate destination.

The Patriots knew it would be their greatest test of the season coming into a hostile environment to face the Raiders (18-7), a squad that also made it to the state Final Four last year. It was a moment that demanded their very best if they hoped to survive and advance, and that was what they were able to deliver.

“We were stressing it all week preparing for them,” American Manager Ricky Gutierrez admitted. “At the start of the season we pretty much knew if we wanted to get back to states we would probably have to face them in this setting. They are a great ball club and this is a great step. Today we had to come and play our game. We had to come with the intensity and Ronnie Williams had to throw the game of his life. We had to step up offensively and we did that. We had big key hits, we had three home runs, and that was a big part of the game.”

With the team ace Ronnie Williams locked in on the mound, the club focused on bringing intensity to the plate to back their starter. Patriots catcher Steven Alvarez put his team on the board early with a solo home run leading off the top of the second inning, driving an 0-2 pitch to center field for a lead the club would never relinquish. Two frames later the backstop got a hold of a 2-2 offering and again sent it over the fence for the deciding run and a two-run advantage.

Matt Ruiz extended the lead by drawing a walk and eventually scored on a groundout from Williams in the fourth. After Eric Gonzalez walked with one out in the sixth, third baseman Romy Gonzalez also sent a shot over the fence to account for the Patriots’ final two runs. It was plenty of run support for Ronnie Williams, who allowed just two base hits and one unearned run on the evening. The right-hander nearly went the distance, recording seven strikeouts while also issuing five walks.

“He was amazing,” Gutierrez said of his ace. “When he was loosening up in the outfield before the game he told me ‘You don’t have to worry about me today, I’ve got you Coach’. When he says that I know I am going to see something special, and you saw it today. He is going to be drafted this June and his abilities are just unbelievable. What he did here today, holding that team to two hits, was amazing.”

As big of a victory as it was for the baseball team, Williams admitted afterwards that the win was not just for them.

“Today I was really excited and motivated, because St. Thomas has upset our girls basketball, our boys track and they beat our girls softball team they other day,” Williams explained. “Our principal wanted this win and I wanted to get it for the school. I was really excited.”

Trailing 5-0 late in the ballgame, the Raiders refused to go down quietly. Sophomore shortstop Gary Mattis reached on an error with two outs in the fifth, and Alex Dickinson was hit by a pitch to also get on base. Both players pulled off a double-steal to get into scoring position, and Mattis came home to break up the shutout on a passed ball.

The Raiders threatened one last time in the bottom of the seventh. Mattis again reached with two outs, as he lined a single into left field. Dickinson drew a walk, which prompted a call to the bullpen for closer Andy Figueroa. Just as he has done all season long, Figueroa answered the bell by recording a strikeout to end the contest.

“We did what we could this year to try and make the other team quit,” St. Thomas Manager Troy Cameron said. “We stole bases and tried to always put pressure on the other team and try and get them to give up. We told them all year that there were going to be times when other teams tried to do the same thing to us, but that there could be no quit in us. I’m proud of them; they fought right to the end and they refused to give in all the way to the last strike.”

While the Patriots celebrated their victory and prepared for the next game, the Raiders were left to celebrate the tremendous season they all had and to take one final chance to appreciate everything they have gotten from an important group of seniors that have led the way all year long.

Cameron summed it up best by the fact that he was simply not able to sum it up first at all, when the team gathered together one last time following the game. The Raiders skipper typically speaks first in the team huddle after each contest, but following the loss he was too emotional. Cameron admitted that even after letting all of his coaches speak to the players in their final huddle, he was still unable to fully compose himself when his turn came.

“It was tough for me and I was sobbing like my one-year old,” Cameron said. “I may have been doing the same even if it was after winning a state championship, because I just hate to see it end. Baseball will humble you like that. We had a lot of guys that didn’t want to see our season end as early as it did and it was tough. It is hard to win and it is harder to lose, but that’s what makes baseball great. These guys have been through a lot this season and they showed a lot of heart. This is a special group and I am glad to have had the team that I had this year.”

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