Miami Country Day Wins South Florida Baseball Conference Championship

Bryor Weiss pitched a complete game and struck out five to lead the Miami Country Day Spartans to the South Florida Conference Championship on Tuesday night with a 4-0 win over the Marathon Dolphins.

“This was for the seniors,” Spartans coach Paul Barrios said. “These seniors have been working for the last four years and have been a big part of this program. All these guys have grown from the beginning of the season. I’m just happy for them. We’ve only given up one run in 14 innings.”

Weiss got things started for the Spartans on the mound, striking out two batters in the first inning.

The Dolphins dug themselves in a hole after loading the bases by walking three batters in the bottom of the first, Miami Country Day’s Brian Fine then pulled a deep ball to center field, landing just short of a home run, Fine was able to turn it into a double, bringing in Brandon Colongo, and Weiss for the game’s first score. Eli Iaslovits brought in Alexander Brody with a sacrifice fly to give the Spartans a three-run lead.

“I had to take advantage of the opportunity I had,” Spartans coach Brian Fine said. “Our pitchers need the run support, and if you look at our results throughout the season, it’s one- or two-run loses, and our coach always tells us, if we can get five runs a game, then we’ll win 99 percent of the time, and I got to do my part to get us up there.”

The Dolphins had their best chance of scoring in the third after Weiss gave up his only walk of the game to the Dolphins lead-off hitter Ian Almodovar to start the third, but the Spartans defense caught Almodovar at third for the second out of the inning after freshman Carlos O’Farrill grounded into a fielder’s choice. Yoniel Esquirol then took Weiss’s fastball to right field for a single, but right fielder Brody threw a dart towards third base to Michael Fente, Fente caught O’Farrill out at third to end the jam.

Eli Iaslovits led off to start the fourth and belted a shot to right field and accelerated to third base for a triple, Iaslovits got the green light and came running home after Dolphins pitcher Kyle Pierce threw a wild pitch. Pierce refocused and struck out the next three batters. Pierce, only a freshman, started on the mound for the Dolphins and pitched the entire game, allowing just three hits and recording four strikeouts.

“Great pitcher’s duel,” Dolphins coach Luis Leal said. “Our guy struggled in the beginning, but he found his way, It was a good pitching game.”

“I thought it was a great game, a real good defensive game. The combined hits were around eight hits, they had more breaks than we did. From all around, it was a good game and good quality baseball.”

Leading by four, Weiss and the Spartans began to shut the door on the Dolphins. The Dolphins put a runner on first in the seventh, but Weiss retaliated with a his fifth strikeout and a pop-up for an out to win it.

“I just got upset and started throwing better,” Weiss said. “The first two innings I was working slow, and then after the third inning, I just got mad and picked it up. I started sliding my fastball more and throwing my curve ball better and kept it up.”

Miami Country Day (11-10) will try to maintain their high level of play as they host University School on Friday.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!