Dr. Krop Walks Off Hialeah For First District Win

When Dr. Krop’s Manuel Talavera came up in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and the game on the line, he only had in mind one thing; to get the win by any means necessary. He received a painful way to remember the at-bat, getting a bruise with a smile for driving home the winning run as Dr. Krop earned their first district victory this season with the 5-4 victory over Hialeah.

Talavera said that he didn’t care that he drove in the deciding run by getting hit hard with a pitch. His mindset was only in getting the win for his team, the likely bruise simply a reminder that he literally took one for the team.

“This has been probably the best game I have ever had,” said Talavera. “I love getting walk-off winners; it’s a great feeling.”

Krop improved to 5-13 overall, while getting some payback for a lopsided loss to the Thoroughbreds (4-14, 2-4) earlier in the season. Although the Lightning’s 1-6 district mark will leave them out of the district playoffs, the victory comes as a great reward for a young team that has begun to play some solid baseball down the stretch following a very difficult start.

For their first-year Manager Scott Olsen, this game was a must win. Since Tuesday was Senior Day for the club, Olsen said it was really important that their guys came out and played well.

“It’s good for the players getting the first win, especially for the seniors,” Olsen said. “They came out and played a great ballgame.”

Both teams came out ready to put zeros on the scoreboard, and for the first four innings that was the case. Thoroughbreds starter Erislandy Rives dueled Lightings ace Ian Santana, giving up close to nothing to their opponents. Rives gave up only two runs and struck out six in five innings with a lethal combination of fastball and a deceptive breaking ball that he dominated with. The defense behind him was superb. They produced two double-plays and gunned down two runners at home plate. His counterpart, Santana gave up three runs in seven innings while keeping the Hialeah lineup in check by only allowing four hits.

With the game tied at three runs apiece after seven, the Lightnings’ seniors got to enjoy their special day just a little bit longer.

In the first frame of extra-innings, Hialeah scored a run that put them into the driver’s seat. Down to their final three outs, the Lighting went to bat ready to create offense. Against a new pitcher, they worked the counts and never swung at bad pitches. With the loaded bases and no one out, Jason Girardi drove the tying run with a walk that then brought Talavera to bat. The sophomore had driven in a run with a solid hit to center his previous time at the plate, but this time his bat was of no need.

The starting pitcher Santana, who was hit by a pitch three times on the afternoon, was knowledgeable of the need of his team to get men on base.

“We are a team that we are not going to outscore anyone,” Santana said. “We have to find a way to produce runs and win games. Anytime we get on base as we did today we are effective.”

Thoroughbreds leadoff hitter Alex Miret also showcased how to produce offense. Miret reached base four times and played incredible defense as well.

“When I get on base, it is an opportunity for us to score runs. It’s a disappointment that we didn’t come out with the win today,” Miret said. “We had opportunities but we didn’t execute. It was a close game the whole way. We fought, we fought all the way.”

Thoroughbreds Manager Jonathan Hernandez appreciates the fight in his club. The approach that worked so well for the Lightning is very much the same philosophies that Hernandez has been teaching his young club all season too.

“This game came down to execution, and they did a good job in the last inning of making our pitchers work by doing the little things that obviously made them successful,” Hernandez said. “I always tell my guys that it’s not how you start, it is how you finish. That’s what I want them to understand. Hopefully from the game today they get into the perspective that no lead is safe, especially in high school baseball.”

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