Florida Christian Defeats LaSalle In Game Of The Week

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U.S. Senator Marco Rubio picked up at least one future vote Friday night.

Florida Christian senior catcher and captain Jack Diaz caught Rubio’s ceremonial first pitch prior to the Patriots’ 4-2 win against LaSalle in the High School Baseball Network Miami-Dade Game of the Week in front of about 350 fans who packed Patriot Field.

“You don’t get too many opportunities to catch senators, so it was nice to do that,” said Diaz, who, at 17, has one more year before he becomes eligible to vote. “Of course I would vote for him. It’s an honor to catch the guy,” Diaz said.

Rubio has close ties to Florida Christian. The Republican from Miami, who played baseball as a youngster but opted for football as a teenager, has four children that attend the school.

When he arrived at the park, Rubio was provided a Patriots white home jersey with the No. 6 and a hat. He tossed a few warm-up pitches against a fence out of view of the spectators and teams before he took the mound next to Florida Christian starting pitcher Alex Nodarse. Unlike some politicians and celebrities whose pitches don’t come close to the plate, Rubio had no problem hitting Diaz’s glove.

“A little high,” Diaz said. “Maybe a ball, but it could have been a strike.”

Frequently mentioned as a potential future president, Rubio hit a ‘home run’ with his appearance.

“That’s huge, anytime that you can have someone of that stature that can come and be part of the program,” said Florida Christian Manager Chris Brigman. “We’re really honored that a United States Senator was here with us tonight.”

As for the game, Florida Christian (10-4, 6-1 District 4A-15) won its third straight. The Patriots will take some momentum heading into a spring break tournament in Sarasota.

“A lot of good teams are up there. Hopefully, we’ll represent Miami well,” Brigman said.

Brandon Chinea and Ruben Someillan represented Florida Christian’s top of the line-up well as they provided plenty of offense out of the top two spots.

“Brandon and Ruben really set the table for us. They do a great job,” Brigman said.

Chinea, who flashed a strong arm while making outstanding plays at shortstop, went 2-for-2, scored two runs and stole a base.
Someillan also went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs on a sacrifice fly in the first and a double that gave the Patriots a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
Clean-up man Erik Montero also had a solid game at the plate. He reached base in all three at-bats with a hit-batsman, an RBI single that snapped a 1-1 tie in the third, and an opposite field triple to deep right-center.

A scary moment occurred in the third inning when Someillan crushed a line drive that nailed LaSalle starting pitcher Sergio Miyares in the ribs. The stadium fell silent as Miyares went down for a moment, but he bounced back up in more ways than one.

Miyares, who fanned eight and allowed six hits and four runs in six innings, received a loud ovation as he remained the game. Although the Patriots scored two runs immediately after the incident, Miyares prevented further damage by fanning the final two batters. He also led off the fourth with an opposite field double.

“Sergio is a tough kid,” said LaSalle Manager Oscar Benitez. “He’s a senior. He’s a leader. It takes a lot more than that to get Sergio Miyares out of the game.”

Led by Nodarse and relievers Javi Naranjo and Kenny Pico, Florida Christian held LaSalle to six hits.

The Royal Lions (9-7, 4-4), however, did not exit quietly. Freshman Santi Grande (2-for-3, 2RBIs, double, home run) took advantage of Patriot Field’s enticing 260-foot fence in right field and pulled a solo home run to lead off the sixth and trim Florida Christian’s lead to 4-2.

“He’s a big-time player,” Benitez said. “He’s got a great future. He’s got ice in his veins. He doesn’t care about situations; he just sits on pitches and hits them.”

Benitez said his team has struggled to produce hits at key times in the past couple weeks. The return of injured second baseman Jordan Vazquez — who has been out since early in the season — should help.

“He’s a big spark plug,” Benitez said. “He should be back by the playoffs.”

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