Demurias Gives Killian An Exciting 6-5 Walk-Off Win

Nerves can be a tricky thing. Not many have the calmness to come on big in the precise moment when all the eyes are put on you. To have nerves of steel, is to be capable of blocking the emotions and turning it into a fire that drives you. The ones that do that are the ones that are remembered through the years.

Eddy Demurias has nerves of steel. He showed everyone present in the game against Coral Gables that. He was the motor behind the walk-off 6-5 win that sends Killian to the regional semifinals. The Cougars (24-4) will host South Dade, who also won on its side of the bracket Thursday.

“Dat Dude” Demurias was a one-man show for the Cougars, as he showcased all five tools. He was the arm Killian manager Angel Herrera went to in the seventh inning to preserve the tie game. In defense, he made the play of the day in the second frame, reaching a ball hit by Gables second baseman Franky Montesino that looked impossible and retiring him with an unbalanced throw. He even added in a stolen base. However, it was his offense that was the calling card. Demurias finished the day 3-for-4 with four of the six runs his team scored against the Cavaliers.

None was as important as the one he was put in position to drive in in the botttom of the seventh inning. The junior righty came to bat in the final inning with two runners on, the winning run in the feet of Spencer Levine on second base.

“I tried to keep my composure,” Demurias said. “I knew I had to put our team in a good position to get the win. I came up in the last inning in a big spot to win the game, and I came through for us.”

Demurias hit a sharp ground ball through the middle that Montesino tried to dive for but was inches away from reaching. By the time the ball reached the outfield, Levine had stepped on the home plate to the roar of the crowd.

Killian Manager Angel Herrera was as cheerful and happy as anybody in the stadium.

“I have told him how ecstatic I am of being his coach,” Herrera said of Demurias. “I have been able to coach a lot of good players in the last eight years here, but he is right there with the most talented of them all. He is my man, as I call him.  If I am going to go to a battle, there is nobody in the world that I will rather go to battle with than Eddy Demurias.”

Knowing the difficulty of the task this far into the playoffs, Killian gave the ball to their ace Ryan Granda. The lefty that leads Dade County in wins and innings pitched didn’t disappoint. He threw an amazing ballgame, only allowing one earned run through five innings. He used an impeccable control, aided by a devastating 12-6 curveball that dominated the Cavaliers lineup, to record nine strike outs.

In turn the Cavaliers (18-9) relied on their fire-baller, Andrew Cabezas, to go against Granda. Cabezas went toe-to-toe with the Cougars lefty. He pitched a great ball game, finishing the day throwing five innings and allowing five runs with eight strike outs. His performance was tarnished by a couple of mistakes in the third inning.

In that frame, down by two runs, Killian came aggressive against Cabezas. With a runner on, the powerful Levine connected for a no-doubter, two-run home run that tied the game. Two batters later, Demurias started his showcase. After a first at-bat that resulted in a strikeout, “Dat Dude” didn’t wait too long to catch a first-pitch fastball and leave a mark in the top side of a palm tree over the left field fence.

Herrera gave all the credit to his starter and said that he was the best pitcher in Dade County this year. He added that the crafty lefty showed up Thursday ready to battle to give the team a chance to win.

“Had we made some plays behind him I think we would be sitting here talking about another Ryan Granda win,” Herrera said. “He was the right man for the job and I am really pleased with his effort today and I wouldn’t expect anything different because he has been steady all year.”

Herrera and the Cougars have worked all season to get back to this point. The regional semifinals have been their achilles heel, and they are hoping this is the year the magic they have created all season can peak when they need it most.

“I am ecstatic. I am pretty happy for the boys, I am happy for the program, and personally for me, I am very excited because for the last year we have been wanting to get to this spot,” Herrera said. “Everything we worked for was to give ourselves a chance to redeem ourselves. We have done a tremendous job of getting to this point. Typical Killian fashion.”

Coral Gables manager Phillip Wisser, even in the loss, still had some support for his kids. His team put a great fight against Killian and tried to create runs with what they gave him, but in the end the result was adverse.

“It was a great game,” Wisser said. “There were four great teams left in the regional playoffs down south. We knew it was going to come up to being perfect in a way, not making mistakes and not giving up the big hit. They had two big hits. We tried to come up with a different game plan and try to manufacture runs. I think we took advantages of a couple miscues on their side with a couple of hustle plays on our side.”

While no coach or player wants to see the season end anything short of the ultimate glory, Wisser acknowledged his respect for Killian.

“They got a great team and their record obviously shows it. Angel does a great job here. It was a great game, with two great teams, but unfortunately one team had to lose,” Wisser said. “I am happy for my boys. I am proud of them, I cannot say anything negative. We came up, we battled, and we didn’t quit. That’s all I can ask from my players and I am extremely proud of them for that.”

The Cougars are now ready to continue their rivalry against South Dade, who they’ll play on Tuesday. In the year, they came back from an early 3-1 loss to take back the next two games. The last one came in a 7-6 win for the district championship, which earned the Cougars the home field advantage.

“I think we got as good a shot as anybody,” said Herrera. “We are not better than anybody, but we are not worse. We have been battle-tested, we are experienced, and we are seasoned to be in this position. We have a monumental challenge coming on Tuesday in what we are calling ‘Round Four’ with our archrival South Dade. The district final was a classic and I look forward to the challenge.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!