Belen Jesuit Falls Just Short In 6A Regional Semifinal Against McCarthy

The Archbishop Mavericks have won two straight state titles, but Wednesday, they faced perhaps their toughest opponent during their current run. Belen Jesuit had gotten hot at the right time under first-year Wolverines head coach Jerry Albert, winning District 6A-16 and a regional quarterfinal coming into the match-up with Archbishop.

The Mavericks sent co-ace Nick Travieso to the mound, and just like he had six times before, Travieso dazzled.

The senior threw 6.1 innings of four-hit ball, then turned the ball over to his partner in crime, Andre Martinez, to close out the 2-1 win for the Mavericks. The win moves Archbishop into the regional finals Friday night against Naples.

For Albert, the season may have ended with a disappointing loss, and only two games from advancing to states, but the Wolverines coach was pleased with the way his team bought into the new system. Albert moved from Coral Springs Charter to Belen last summer, and this season serves as a stepping stone for what he believes will be a special program moving forward.

“We knew to win against these guys, it was going to be 1-0, 2-1, that type of game. Unfortunately, tonight they had the two and we had the one,” said Albert. “But that doesn’t take anything away from the way we played. These players have bought into what we were trying to do. They’re a great group of kids. We have tremendous support from our administration, our principal, everybody. Every teacher in the hallway asks about our games. It’s a great school and a family atmosphere, and I’m very, very proud at the way these kids represented our school.”

Early on, it was apparent that runs were going to be at a premium in this one. Travieso squared off with Wolverines senior Alex Lavandero, and neither pitcher blinked. Through the first four innings, Travieso gave up two hits, while Lavandero allowed none.

“Our goal all year long has been to get back to states,” said Travieso. “Tonight, at the beginning I was struggling a little bit. I didn’t really feel great until the middle innings, but our coaching staff, they kept believing in me, and keeping me up, and throwing me out there. Then, when I had to turn the ball over to Andre, that’s my boy right there, and I’ve got to give it up to him for getting me out of that jam in the seventh.”

In the fifth, Archbishop finally broke through with a pair of runs. Second baseman Jason Morozowski was at the center of the rally, hitting a double down the left-field line to score Blade Bielski with the game’s first run. Bielski was running for catcher Michael Hernandez, who led off the inning with a single to right.

After the double and a Brandon Roberts walk, Morozowski used the defensive aggression of Belen against the Wolverines. Morozowski baited catcher David Diaz-Fernandez to throw behind him at second base, and when the throw went through to second, Morozowski took off and stole third. Nick Basto followed with a fielder’s choice ground ball to second, scoring Morozowski, and giving the Mavericks what appeared to be an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

For Morozowski, tonight was his time to shine, but he knows that on any given day, any of his Mavericks teammates could step up, and he learned his leadership skills from the players that paved the way before him.

“I learned the past few years from some of the best leaders,” said Morozowski. “Two years ago, Nick Castellanos taught me a lot about building leadership. And last year, Jose Brizuela really taught me about meshing the team together and playing for one goal. There’s no superhero on this team. If we’re going to win this thing, every single person needs to be in sync. I feel like if I have to be that guy to make sure everybody is doing what it takes, I’ll do it. I’ll do anything it takes to win.”

Belen, however, was not going down without a fight. The Wolverines have won several games in come-from-behind fashion, and they had intentions of doing so again Wednesday, even with Travieso on the mound.

In the sixth, Alex DeGoti immediately answered the Mavericks’ runs with a solo bomb to left-field. From there, Travieso settled back in, retiring the next three Wolverines in order.

After Lavandero finished off his complete game in the Mavericks’ sixth, Travieso went back out to finish off the Wolverines, but Belen players had other ideas.

After a lead-off strikeout, Diaz-Fernandez was hit by a pitch, and Gilberto Delgado walked, putting the tying run on second, and the go-ahead run on first. With Travieso’s pitch count rising, Mavericks head coach Rich Bielski made the call to the bullpen, and brought in Martinez. The Archbishop senior, who has pitched in pressure situations for several years during the Mavericks state runs, promptly struck out the two batters he faced, and moved his team within one win of heading to Port St. Lucie to defend their state title.

“It’s games like this one right here why we stack our schedule every year,” said Bielski. “We play in tight, low scoring games all season long, and even though we may lose a few of those games, it prepares us mentally for what we are going to face at this stage of the game. Belen played great, and they’re a very good team, fundamentally sound, very well coached, and we were fortunate to come out with a win tonight.”

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