Mediavilla’s Two-Run Blast Lifts Mater Academy

Over the past few seasons, it has not mattered what the names were on the back of the jerseys. When Belen Jesuit and Mater Academy get together, fans are treated to some of the most riveting baseball in South Florida.

The fact that Thursday’s matinee was for the district title made the match-up even that more important.

The game was everything one would expect it to be when two of the top programs in Miami lock horns. It had strong pitching, defensive gems, and Mike Mediavilla played the role of hero, with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. Mediavilla then came out to the mound in the seventh and closed the door on the Wolverines, securing a 6-5 Mater win.

“I got curve balls in every at-bat today,” said Mediavilla. “In the last at-bat, he had me 0-2, so I was looking for another curve ball, and I adjusted when I saw fastball. I can’t even explain it, that was probably the best at-bat I’ve ever had in my life.”

That at-bat would never have been possible if not for Kevin Abraham. The Lions three-hitter worked the count against the Wolverines’ Amado Chirinos. Abraham fought off several pitches, and eventually worked a two-out walk, setting the stage for Mediavilla’s heroics.

The inning began with the Lions leading hitter, Wille Abreu, grounding out in a bang-bang play at first. To some it may have looked like the Lions’ hopes were fleeting, but Abreu did not see it that way.

“Even after I grounded out, I knew we would somehow get the runs we needed,” said Abreu. “All year that has been the way our team has performed, it’s always someone different coming through with the big hit. Today it was Mike. I’ve played with him since we were kids, so to see him do that in that moment is just amazing.”

The game, itself, played out like a heavyweight fight, with each team delivering blow and counter-blows throughout.

The Wolverines got the scoring started early when they broke through for a run in the game’s opening inning. Ryan Rodriguez-Mena was hit by a pitch with one out, and Alec Acosta followed with a double to right-center field. A William Fabra groundout to first scored Rodriguez.

The Lions put their first runs on the board off Wolverines starter Danny Parets in the third. Abreu reached on a fielder’s choice, and Danny Reyes hit a two-run shot to center. The runs were a welcomed sight for Lions Manager Eddie Gorriz.

“He (Parets) just threw nine innings against us two weeks ago and we couldn’t score,” said Gorriz. “So getting those runs early were huge.”

Mater padded their lead in the fourth with Abreu driving in Chris Cabrera, who had reached on an error and moved to second on a Alex Rodriguez walk.

With Lions starter Andrew Cabezas cruising, it appeared Mater was going to coast to victory, but the Wolverines had other ideas.

In the top of the sixth, down three runs, the Belen offense came to life. With one out, Rodriguez-Mena was hit by a pitch. Acosta then walked, and Fabra reached on an error. Alex Lorenzo cut the lead to 4-2 when he was hit by a pitch, and a David Guevara single chopped the lead even further, to 4-3. Lucas Fernandez-Rocha’s bases-loaded walk then tied the game. Pablo Cabrera followed with an RBI single, giving Belen their first lead since the first inning.

The Wolverines appeared to extend the lead to 6-4 on a fielder’s choice groundout off the bat of Chris Del Castillo, but when the umpiring crew ruled that Cabrera slid past the bag at second, an automatic double-play was called, and the run came off the board.

That set up the Lions’ two-out, nobody on, rally. Once Mediavilla hit the home run, he then quickly warmed up in the bullpen and came out to close the game in the seventh. It looked as though the Wolverines would go quietly until a two-out Acosta walk and a single by Fabra put the tying run on third. Mediavilla then hunkered down and got a foul popout to first to end the game and give Mater the district title.

“I was proud of the way we fought back today,” said Wolverines Manager Jerry Albert. “But in the end, we made too many mistakes to win the game. For us, we just have to quickly put this game behind us and get ready for the playoffs next week.”

On the other side of the field, the Lions were busy celebrating a district title, one year after being the district’s top seed and getting knocked out early.

“We all remember that feeling last year,” said Abreu. “All season we kept that feeling in our heads, so we didn’t repeat it this year. It feels so great to bring the district title back to Mater. We worked so hard for this result, and it feels good. That is a great team over there, and we have a battle every time against them. I’m just glad we came out on top today.”

In the bigger picture, Mater will now get to host the regional quarterfinal, and may avoid three-time state champion Archbishop McCarthy in the process.

“It is big for us to get a home game next week,” said Gorriz. “We always want to play the best, and to get where we want to go we are going to have to beat some great teams, but it’s nice to have that first one at home.”

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