Archbishop McCarthy Upends American Heritage
Mavericks pitcher Johnny Leone tags out Heritage’s Anthony Boix.
Every time Archbishop McCarthy and American Heritage gets together on the diamond, it can be assured that the match-up will be epic in some way. Most times, it is some of the best baseball in the county. On Friday night, Broward’s #1 team, the Mavericks, faced off with Broward’s #2, the Patriots. While the hype and the tension lived up to its billing, the on-field performance was not up to the usual flawless standards these two teams are so used to showing off.
Four base-runners were picked off, two from each team, and two additional Patriots were thrown out on the bases, leading to a 7-5 Mavericks win in a 6A-15 game that gave Archbishop the top seed in the district heading into next months playoffs.
“I think both teams could have played better,” said Mavericks manager Rich Bielski. “I feel very fortunate we got out with a win today. They are a good team, and we didn’t play our best tonight, so that’s a great sign for us.”
It was Heritage who had the bats working most of the night. The Patriots racked up 10 hits, but each time they put runners on base the threat was thwarted with either a pick-off, or over-aggressive base-running.
In the first inning, Heritage loaded the bases with a single by Jacob Pino sandwiched between walks to Tristen Casas and Alfonso Guillen. With two outs, and starting pitcher Johnny Leone in a jam, the Mavericks went to one of their signature moves. Catcher Andrew Fernandez took a 2-0 pitch and snap-threw to Alex Toral to pick off Guillen at first and end the inning.
Tristen Casis at the plate for Heritage.
In the second, it was more of the same. Anthony Boix led off with a double, and moved to third on a wild pitch. He then was thrown out at home trying to score on the second wild pitch of the inning. Sebastian Enciso followed with a base hit, but the designated runner for Enciso was promptly picked off first base.
“I love the aggressiveness of our players, and we teach that, but today there were way too many base-running mistakes,” said Patriots manager Bruce Aven. “You can’t make four base-running mistakes and expect to win against a team like McCarthy.”
The Mavericks took advantage of the momentum shift in their half of the second inning, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring five runs. Andrew Fernandez and Kobe Lopez each had two-RBI doubles in the five-run rally.
“I was just looking for a first-pitch fastball,” said Andrew Fernandez, who broke up the scoreless tie with his double. “I took one because he was struggling a little bit, but then I got my pitch, and I hit it pretty good.”
McCarthy added two more in the third, and suddenly the over 500 fans in attendance were facing a possible early night.
In the fourth, the Mavericks had their turn with the base-running mistakes, with two consecutive runners being picked off first base. Heritage was able to parlay that momentum into runs in the fifth, as they started mounting a comeback. Kyle Carter had a double, and Travis Holt an RBI single. When Holt later came around to score on a wild pitch, the lead had been trimmed to 7-2.
The game stayed that way into the seventh. A combination of walks and singles by Holt, Cortez, and Carter trimmed the lead to 7-5, but the game ended with Carter trying to stretch a single into the double. Carter was attempting to put the tying run on second with the play.
“I’m not happy with the mistakes today and the lack of execution,” said Aven, “But I know one thing, these guys don’t have any quit in them and they play hard every time they step on the field. It’s my job now to get them to the point where we don’t make the mistakes that costs us games like tonight.”
McCarthy players celebrate their big five-run second inning.
For McCarthy, Leone picked up the win, going four innings, while giving up only one run. The win was not their usual performance, but showed yet again that the Mavericks have a knack for finding different ways to win.
Lopez, who ended the day 2-for-3, with a walk, two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBIs, was one of the offensive contributors that, for one of the few times this season, didn’t include the middle of the lineup.
“It’s nice to have a team where everyone up and down the lineup can come through at different times,” said Lopez.
The Mavericks are now able to move into the new week with their perfect record, their number one ranking in both the HSBN Broward and HSBN Florida Power Rankings, the top seed in the district, and a possible #1 seed in the upcoming HSBN March Madness Shootout tournament all intact.
“Tonight’s win was nice,” said Bielski, after watching his team nearly give up a seven-run lead. “But now its time to turn the page. We have another good team coming in here Monday in Cypress Bay, and it’s time to get ready for that one.”
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