Killian Downs Mater To Claim Hall Of Fame Classic Crown
Mikhail Cunill pumps his fist in celebration after recording the final out in his complete-game shutout victory.
It’s an age old saying that pitching and defense wins championships. This is because it is true.
Playing in their fourth game of this Spring Break week, Killian got a superb start from senior Mikhail Cunill to carry them to a 10-0 championship victory over Mater Academy in the Hall of Fame Classic Tournament Friday night at Pompano Four Fields. Cunill earned the complete-game shutout victory in just his second start of the season.
“Their pitcher was on point,” admitted Lions Manager Mike DiRosa. “We played well; their team played exceptionally well today. All the credit goes to that team today.”
After both sides survived a gauntlet of worthy opponents just to reach the championship, it was the Cougars (15-3) who were able to continue the success that got them there.
Cunill set the tone on the mound, fearlessly attacking one of the toughest lineups in all of Miami-Dade County with poise and confidence. The right-hander needed just 81 pitches to get through his six innings of work, as he hit the strike zone 52 times and challenged batters and yet still managed to shut out a team that has only been held scoreless one other time in the past three seasons.
“I couldn’t be happier for Mikhail,” said Killian Manager Angel Herrera. “He’s one of our seniors and he has worked so hard and improved so much to get to that point. One of the goals that I had for this thing was for this to be Mikhail’s night, and he sure did it. He took the bull by the horns and he pitched a masterful game. To throw the game that he threw against that kind of team, Mater Academy is tremendous and Coach DiRosa does a great job getting them to hit. Mikhail just did a masterful job against them and my hat goes off to him.”
Cunill scattered six hits and a walk, and also hit two batters, but still managed to avoid any damage caused. He picked up seven strikeouts, and ending four innings with a strikeout. None was bigger than the called third strike he recorded to escape a bases-loaded threat in the fifth, after Daniel Reyes reached on a fielder’s choice, Michael Mediavilla walked and Deyvid Silva singled to load the bags for one last push by the Lions (13-4).
“I was just pitching like it was any other game and not hyping it up too much. I was just throwing the ball over the plate and throwing strikes,” said Cunill, who was backed by an offense that gave him the lead the whole way. “It definitely gave me confidence going throughout the game with the lead, but I still have to throw the ball sixty feet. So that was what I was doing throwing the ball over the plate and getting outs.“
Cunill was rewarded with the tournament’s Cy Young trophy for his efforts. But while he was thrilled and honored at the personal accomplishments, he was more thankful for the team that put him in position to even have a chance for such an honor.
“We couldn’t have done it without hitting, without Keith and Spencer, without all the other pitchers who also did really well pitching and throwing strikes and beating everyone else,” said Cunill. “We had Granda, Vlad and Keith out there, and going through those other games was tough. We couldn’t have done it without all of those other guys.”
Killian’s Spencer Levine completes his trip around the bases following a three-run home run in the sixth.
One of those other guys was cleanup hitter Keith Stevens, who took home the tournament’s top honors as the MVP. Capping off a big week Stevens delivered the winning run with an RBI single in the top of the first inning, which scored Spencer Levine after the Cougars catcher jumped on a 3-0 pitch for a two-out triple. Stevens went 3-for-3 on the night, and scored three times.
Levine and Stevens both walked leading off the third, moved over on a sacrifice bunt from Eddy Demurias and then Joey Gonzalez drove in courtesy runner Ryan Guzman, who came in for the catcher Levine. Stevens followed Gonzalez home when he scored on a passed ball, and both players then scored again in the fifth. This time Levine was hit by a pitch and gave way to Guzman, Stevens ripped a double to the left field corner and Demurias chopped an RBI single past third to drive in Guzman. Stevens again came in on a passed ball.
Levine also had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-2 and reaching base on all four trips to the batter’s box. After Danny Cumba singled and Freddy Zamora was hit by a pitch in the sixth, Levine put the game well out of reach when he connected on a 1-0 pitch and drove the ball over the left field fence for a three-run home run.
Demurias and Eddy Arteaga added RBI doubles to put the game away and close out the scoring. This put the finishing touches on a day in which every starter reached base and the Cougars pounded out 13 hits in all.
“They swung a tremendous bat, not just tonight but all week long. It seemed that the further we got along the better they swung it,” said Herrera. “This has been a tremendous Spring Break for us, and what a great tournament. What a field of teams! Coach Hofman puts on a tremendous event and we are honored to be a part of it. To be able to come out on top, I’m a proud head coach today.”
The tournament featured several strong programs from across South Florida, as well as from around the country. It was a challenging field of teams, with results that lived up to those billings. With the district playoffs just a few short weeks away, this environment provided exactly what coaches could hope for to help better prepare them for when games start having their season on the line.
“The good thing about a tournament like this is that every team you are going to play is going to be good, so we played four very good teams, four very well-coached teams,” said DiRosa. “We competed every time and we were in every game. This one ended up being a blowout but I liked our at bats and our guys were in it. They weren’t giving up, so it’s tough to lose a game like this but I’ll take our performance that we had in this tournament. To be honest, our team is capable of playing this way all the time. We just need to carry on in our work ethic, keep working hard everyday and keep pushing it and try to outwork everybody everyday. Hopefully our guys learn from this tournament.”
Mater’s Angel Ortiz earned an offensive trophy for his big week at the plate during the tournament.
One thing that Mater learned on this night is that some of their younger pitchers bring a lot of promise to the program. Young lefty Josh Mendez got the start for his club, and tossed four innings on an efficient 63 total pitches before giving way to sophomore Christian Rodriguez and then also right-hander Edin Palmer.
For the Lions, several players earned personal honors to help remind them of this tough week they have just spent in Pompano Beach. Mediavilla was named to the All Tournament Team, while Angel Ortiz and Danny Reyes both took home offensive trophies following their big performances at the plate.
Demurias was also named to the All Tournament Team for Killian.
While most schools use Spring Break to travel far, Killian found that the trip to Pompano Beach from Kendall was plenty far enough to bring the team together on the road. Over the course of the week many different players stepped up to help pave the way towards the eventual championship trophy they now get to bring back home with them. The Cougars are beginning to play their best baseball of the season, and it couldn’t come at a better time of the year.
“Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come,” said Herrera. “We’re sure going to need it the rest of the way. When we get back home we’ve got some tough district games waiting for us and it’s going to take our best effort to continue this success. But we’re going to enjoy this for now.”
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