Amaral Powers Brito To Victory In 2A-15 Championship

Brito Manager Pedro Guerra smiles every time that his fourth hitter goes to the batters box.

The veteran coach has seen states championship teams before, and he knows what it takes to build one. This time, he is happy to have the middle of the order to support the whole lineup. Mauricio Amaral, Brito’s cleanup hitter, may have the most raw power in all the county. The senior put on a display in the 2A-15 final against Miami Christian, driving in four runs in three at-bats, with a no-doubt-about-it jack to left field that capped the 10-4 victory.

Amaral makes baseball look too easy for him. An imposing figure, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 220 pounds, he dwarfs the bat and has a violent swing that if he wanted could take down a building.

Guerra said Amaral’s power makes teams prepare harder for him, something that makes the others in the lineup better.

“Mauricio is a batter with a lot of power,” Guerra said. “He is a hitter that can affect the outcome of a game with his bat. He can turn the tables on any opponent in a matter of seconds.”

Guerra added that his team is in the middle of their best form. They are clicking in all cylinders and are an offense to be feared.

“Just as I have said in interviews before, my team wasn’t playing up to their standards. I expected much more of them,” Guerra said. “Our offense wasn’t at their best up until mid-season. They reacted and now are in top form. At this moment, I expect even more improvements.”

Brito (16-8) started the game, which was played at the Victors home field, with freshman Hector Garcia. The youngster pitched a great game for his coaches who trusted him with the ball in the district final. Junior J.C. Laser started the game for Miami Christian.

Through the first couple of innings, Laser toyed with the Panthers lineup. In the third, after an error put two men on the bases, Amaral came to bat and made the baseball disappear on a long swing.

The hitter explained that his homer was a source of support, since it pumped his teammates to play even better and to put the game away. He confessed he had gone for the home run because they had put back the fences.

“They put back the fences for us because I guess they found out I was a guy with power. Maybe it wasn’t for me, but I still managed to hit one over the fence,” Amaral said. “I’ve been really happy with my season so far. I am leading the county in home runs. That was my dream. I never played high school baseball, and now my senior year I am having a good year. I am really excited.”

Down by eight runs going into the fifth inning, the Victors (7-14-1) woke up and started making things happen. They scored three runs in that inning and one more the next one. Even if their come back fell short, they were always in the bases and made the game interesting.

At one point Guerra realized that the game wasn’t so out of the reach for his opponent. He brought in Marcos Bolanos, his personal rally-stopper. The junior has been the most dependable of the pitchers Brito has to his disposition and always comes through in tough situations.

Bolanos put the game away, giving the Panthers their district championship. Now they are headed for regionals and the team is preparing for a deep run.

“The sky is the limit with this young group. Our season objective was to win the districts,” Guerra stated. “Now, we have to get to the state championship and win it. We are working very hard for it and the team is focused on that.”

Amaral expressed confidence in his team’s chances in the regionals.

“There is no doubt,” Amaral said. “I believe in every single one of my teammates. I think that we will get to states and we will win it all.”

Miami Christian senior David Lopez, who was 2-for-4 on the day, said baseball was a funny game. He added any team could be down five runs one inning and the next one could be up five.

“We are ready for regionals. I believe we can make it far,” Lopez said.

Victors Manager Chris Cuadra said he expected more from his team and that it could have played a better ballgame.

“I wasn’t happy with how the game played out. We kept fighting. We had heart, but at the end of the game, we didn’t show up,” Cuadra said. “It’s been an up-and-down season. I felt really good going into the playoffs. We didn’t get far this time. Hopefully next week we will face them again in regionals.”

For regionals, Cuadra is prepared and ready to step up their game, learning from the mistakes of the season and the playoffs.

“We are excited. We have to clean up our defense, do some tweaks here and there on the lineup and on the pitching, and we will be fine,” Cuadra said.

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