SLAM Wins Season Opener In Grand Fashion
SLAM scores one of their first runs ever.
Rich Hofman has been around for a long time. The All-Time wins leader in Florida history, Hofman has seen his share of big wins over a career that has spanned more than 40 years. Each win has a special meaning for the legendary coach.
Monday night, SLAM, a new charter school in Miami, added to the long list of accomplishments for Hofman.
SLAM played their first game ever Monday evening when they hosted Alonzo Mourning at St. Thomas University. A big crowd was on hand for the historic event, and the Titans did not disappoint, scoring five runs in the fourth inning, then holding on for a 5-2 win in both teams’ opener.
“This is great,” said Hofman. “Obviously we’ve been waiting for this day since the school was announced. We wanted to play the first-ever game here, and we had some great support by our fans and parents. It was a great atmosphere, almost like a playoff game. Our guys hung in there and battled all night, and did just enough to win. It was exciting.”
Titans starter Andrew Velez, a former Alonzo Mourning player, received the honor of starting the Titans first game on the mound. Velez was opposed by the Sharks’ Matt Castorao.
Early on, it looked like this one was going to be a pitcher’s duel. Despite both pitchers having less than their best stuff, they worked out of several early jams, and went to the bottom of the fourth with a 0-0 game. Castorao took a no-hitter with him into the bottom of the fourth.
All five of SLAM’s runs came in the inning. Jose Garcia and George Fernandez had singles in the frame, but it was right-fielder Javier Camacho, hitting out of the eight hole, that had the key at-bat. With the bases loaded, Camacho fell behind 1-2. He proceeded to foul several picthes off, and saw two runs come across on consecutive wild pitches. After a couple more foul balls, Camacho was able to put a ball in play, a ground ball to short that plated Kevin Garcia with the Titans’ third run.
“I have to admit, my confidence wasn’t very high after seeing what he did in his first at-bat,” Hofman said of Camacho. “The first time through, you’re going to be nervous, especially with a young team like ours. We preach just putting the ball in play at practice all the time, and Javy was able to foul some pitches off and hit the grounder to short. So he did his job in that situation.”
Matthew Castrorao delivers a pitch Monday night.
While Camacho delivered the best at-bat of the inning, it was lead-off hitter Brian Frias who electrified the crowd. After Fernandez’ two-out single, Frias drove a ball deep into the left-center field gap, just out of the reach of Sharks center-fielder Alex Perez. Frias, the fastest player on the Titans squad, was off to the races. Hofman waved Frias around third, and when he crossed home plate sliding, he became the first player in SLAM history to hit a home run.
“I honestly did know know out of the box that was going to be an inside-the-parker,” said Frias. “When I came around second and saw Coach Hofman waving me around, I just trusted him and went for it all. It’s honestly overwhelming, because it’s always going to be in the record books at the school. Just an amazing feeling.”
Meanwhile Velez had settled in on the mound, but worked into a jam in the fifth. After Aaron Petrash, Jose Reyes, and Marcel Guardarrama all singled in the inning, Velez gave way to Chauncey Nunez. The freshman proceeded to end the threat with a strikeout, and followed with two more innings of shutout ball in preserving the win.
Velez became the first pitcher in Titans history to record a victory.
“It feels great,” said Valez, when asked about the first win. “Hopefully it’s the first one of many for the school.”
While Mourning lost their opener, there were some bright spots for the Sharks, signaling better days ahead. Kevin Moreno threw 2.1 innings of one-hit ball in relief, and the Sharks bats hit the ball hard at various times throughout the game.
“It’s not the result we wanted, but we saw some real positive things that we can grow from,” said Sharks Manager Edwin Bonilla. “Although it’s their (SLAM) first game, we also are a young school that hasn’t been around a long time, so we are still growing. I think we will be able to compete in our district, and games like this with playoff atmospheres, will only help us as we move forward in the season.”
SLAM Principal Alex Tamargo threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
Contact - About - Advertising - Disclaimer - Copyright © 2018 HSBN Miami-Dade - All Rights Reserved
