Bolano’s Complete Game Leads Brito To The Regional Finals

To comprehend Marcos Bolano’s baseball story, one would have to go back four years. The then seventh-grader didn’t look the way he now looks, but there was always something special in his eyes, according to his Manager Pedro Guerra. The youngster was put into a ballgame after Guerra had had enough with his starting leftfielder in a district game all those years ago.

“I never had patience for people not playing hard,” Guerra said. “So I put Marcos in to show my varsity players that even a seventh-grader, if playing hard, could get a chance.”

Long story short, Bolano had a chance to put himself in the spotlight after a ball was hit his way in the outfield. He shot a bullet that caught the runner trying to tag from third base and stopped the rally. From them on, Marcos was the guy Brito’s team turned to when in need. Even if not flashy, he doesn’t have the raw power of Mauricio Amaral or the hitting ability of Savian Fernandez, he is the most consistent and smart ballplayer that the Panthers coaches and the veteran Manager Guerra have had.

In Tuesday afternoon’s ballgame played at Monsignor La Serra Baseball Field, another page was added to Bolano’s baseball story. He pitched a complete game and drove in two decisive runs to lead the way to the Panthers to a 10-4 victory against Miami Christian that put them into the Regional Finals.

However, Bolano’s pitching didn’t start as good as predicted. In the first inning, he gave up back-to-back hits to Sebastian Dayoub and Cristian Rivera. With both runners on, Miami Christian cleanup hitter Christian Sanchez hit a towering double to center, giving the early lead to the Victors (8-15-1).

Through four innings Bolano surrendered four runs and at one point was trailing 3-0. The junior righty was leaving the ball in the middle of the plate and seemed to be out of gas by the middle frames. Guerra was looking closely through every pitch. He knew better than anybody what his ace was capable of, and knew that the best of him was just to come.

“I think the key to be a great baseball manager is to trust in the ability of your players. You have to trust them in the good and in the bad,” Guerra said. “Marcos has always given me his all. It doesn’t matter that he began the game the way he did, I always had my trust on him. In the fourth inning, I was going to take him out, but he asked me to keep pitching, so I allowed him to pitch. He has done as much as anyone for this team; thus, I felt I had to trust him.”

Bolano responded to his manager’s trust by retiring the last eight batters he faced, five by strikes. He finished the complete game and gave the Panthers reason to celebrate after reaching the finals.

Bolano’s opponent on the day was Elias Bure, who was their first choice, and according to Miami Christian Manager Chris Cuadra they were going to live or die by him.

The senior righty matched Bolano’s calmness with his intensity and fight. He kept coming after the Panther hitters, even after being down by a couple of runs that his lineup wouldn’t make up for. Bure was a tough guy to crack and even the powerful Brito lineup had some troubles against him. He was disappointed with the result, but with his pitching he showed to the crowd a will to fight that was appreciated.

“I feel that we could have done it a little better. We made a couple errors that cost us, but we bounced back. In conclusion, they just hit the ball better than we did,” Bure said. “In the beginning there was some pressure, but towards the end I just focused on making it as if it was just another game on this field.”

Miami Christian came into this game for the fourth meeting with Brito (18-8), looking for the first win of the season against their rival. The strategy of Cuadra was first and foremost to neutralize the powerful Amaral. The senior that was the difference in the district final was not allowed to hit this time. He was walked three times by the Victors, two of them intentionally.

“We knew coming into the game they were not going to pitch to my cleanup hitter. That is just part of baseball,” Guerra explained of the consecutive intentional walks to Amaral. “I wish every time he came to bat they would walk him. In the end, that helps our team.”

Cuadra, who saw his team fight against Brito toe to toe, had more expectations from this ballgame and he had reason to. Miami Christian was in the contest all the way, but didn’t get a rally in the end that would have sent them to the finals.

“From last year to this year, we have made improvements. We have to continue grinding and keep improving,” Cuadra said. “We were up 3-0 in this game, but we couldn’t hold it. I always tell my kids that this game is about momentums. We punched, they punched us back, we jab a little bit, but we couldn’t finish it.”

Cuadra also had a message for his senior class.

“Keep your head up, keep working hard, there is more baseball to be played for,” Cuadra said. “Out of my 12 seniors, 11 are going to play college ball, so I am happy for them.”

One of the seniors that played their last high school game was the third hitter Rivera. A transfer this year, he put together one of the most dominant hitting display in the county.

“I am extremely happy with the season I have had at Miami Christian,” Rivera said. “I thank God that He has put me in the path to become a professional baseball player. I am very grateful. I wish Miami Christian keeps playing hard, and that they practice hard and stay focused to achieve their goals in the future.”

Fernandez, the Panther’s captain, had a game to remember. He was 4-for-4 with two doubles. He, according to Guerra, had this explosion coming against Miami Christian since he hadn’t hit in the others games before.

“I am extremely happy with my performance today. Any game I can hit 4-for-4 and get my team the opportunity to win, it’s an amazing feeling coming out here and doing it,” Fernandez said. “Last year we lost in this same scenario, so it is a great feeling going to the next level and having one more game.”

Fernandez also added the support for Bolano and explained how he knew all along that his team ace was going to guide them to the victory.

“Marcos was struggling at the beginning of the game, but without a doubt I knew he was going to come back and finish the game for us,” Fernandez said. “He is a tremendous pitcher and we trust him.”

Bolano’s trust is just a little part of the equation. The way he gained it is the key to his baseball story.

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