Mater Wins To Advance To First-Ever State Championship

State Semifinal Photo Gallery

Mater Academy had Creekside right where it wanted it.

Trailing by a pair of runs midway through the contest, the Lions were far from panicked. They had battled back from deficits all during their historic playoff run that had landed them at jetBlue Park in Fort Myers in the Class 6A state semifinal. There was no doubt that this team could do it again.

They did.

Mater stormed back with a big fifth inning, then held off a late response from the Knights to come away with a 4-3 victory in Tuesday’s state semifinal. Mater will face Winter Haven Thursday night in the 6A state championship, after the Blue Devils (27-5) edged Venice in the other state semifinal Wednesday night. It is the first time the program will ever play in a state final.

“It’s a huge win,” said Lions Manager Mike DiRosa. “It’s the first time our school has been to states as a team. We’ve had wrestlers and had track guys go to states, but it’s a huge win as a team. The team has battled every game that they had to.”

One of the things that DiRosa has talked to his team about this season is to start the game with the mentality that they are down by a few runs. This concept has the players working harder from the start, grinding out at-bats and trying to scratch every run across the board like it is one that they need just to come back with. So when that was the reality that the Knights (28-5) had a 2-0 edge through the first four frames, there was no sign of panic in the Mater dugout.

“These guys, they don’t give up. To them being down 2-0 was where we’ve been before,” said DiRosa. “We know something is going to fall our way, and today it did. A lot of people say it’s better to be lucky then good, and sometimes it is. But at the same time I think hard work brings luck with it. Everybody on our team has a job and they all work hard at that. They depend on each other to win a game and they go after it for each other.”

Mater (19-8) rode several big, late comebacks just to get this far. With the team needing another such rally to keep this dream season alive, there was never any doubt that they could make it happen.

“I believe in our team and I believe in the squad that we have,” said centerfielder Danny Reyes. “Play by play I try to keep the guys up. You know sometimes it is normal for a guy to get down in the dugout and I feel like it’s my job to pick him up. I take that personal. When we keep it going and keep the energy going good things happen.”

The Lions had a tough time with Knights starter Matt Weidenbach early on. But the second time through the order the team started to make the right adjustments and work their chances in their favor. Reyes broke up the no-hit bid with a two-out double in the fourth inning, and although he was stranded on the bases, he still gave his team confidence on how to attack going forward.

“He was definitely keeping the ball down and he was hitting his spots at the beginning of the game,” Reyes said. “Our Coach Danny kept telling us to look for a ball up, and the second time around we started realizing his patterns of keeping the fastball down and starting with the little breaking ball. We saw the ball up more and we knew that we had to get on base and that was our main goal. Once we got a man on base we believed in each other and we brought those runs in.”

In the top of the fifth the Lions pounced. Deyvid Silva worked the count full and drew a leadoff walk, and Alex Rodriguez followed by rolling a single up the middle. Joey Jimenez dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but Weidenbach was able to fire to third base and remove the lead runner for the first out. A strikeout to the next batter got the Knights within an out of escaping the threat. Instead Raul Frias lined a single past third base to load the bags and increase the pressure.

Up to the plate stepped Angel Ortiz, the same clutch hitter who had delivered the big hit that completed the comeback over Pembroke Pines Charter in their regional championship victory. This experience had Ortiz feeling all of the confidence in the world. On a 1-1 offering Ortiz lined a shot just fair along the third baseline, bringing Alex Rodriguez and courtesy runner Jonas Nodarse home to tie things up.

“The thing that came into my head was just to be like the last game against Pines Charter,” said Ortiz. “I had the same exact at-bat, and I just kept the same mentality. Hit the ball and something good is going to happen. That’s part of baseball. Thank God it came through and I got another hit. I don’t know what to say; my emotions are so stirred right now. I’ve just experienced two miracles on the baseball field. All I can say is thank you.”

Mike Mediavilla followed with a big single up the middle that put the Lions ahead, as Frias came in to score for a lead they would not relinquish.

Mediavilla was the starter for the contest, and the big left-hander was unwavering throughout. Staked with the lead finally, the senior ace locked in and went to work on closing things out. He tossed a 1-2-3 fifth with a pair of strikeouts to keep all of the momentum on the Lions’ sideline.

“Mike put us on his back today and pitched his butt off all game,” said DiRosa. “He’s been our leader on the mound, and since we’ve got to the playoffs we’ve had clutch hits from Angel Ortiz, Deyvid Silva and Danny Reyes. We’ve had a bunch of clutch hits from those guys.”

Although Mediavilla had struggled some coming down the stretch run in the playoffs, when his team needed him for its biggest game ever he was there to do the job they knew he could do. He went the entire distance in the ball game, letting his teammates know that win or lose the end result would be on him to help them decide.

“Knowing that it is win-or-go-home and knowing the atmosphere you are in, it’s a state final and you’re here battling,” Mediavilla said. “Every team is here for one goal and you have to come out with your best stuff or you’re going to get beat. So I just knew today I have to hit my spot with every pitch I’ve got. I kept working for a whole week on everything I had been struggling in. I had been keeping the ball high, so I was trying to work the ball down lower even into the dirt if I had to, and just getting my curveball over the plate and working my changeup better. Everything just fell for me today.”

The defense behind Mediavilla was also solid. The southpaw excelled at getting the ball hit onto the ground and trusting his defense. They rewarded that faith by making the plays as they came to them, gobbling up grounders and recording the outs.

“I saw Mike working hard there and he was pounding the zone and they were not getting many hits off of him,” said Silva. “Our job was just to back him up and make all the plays, all the routine plays and try to not make errors. A-Rod had some clutch plays too, and after he missed on some we told him don’t worry about it. We’ve still got your back and you’re got nine other players behind you and we just kept on making the routine plays.”

With some of the pressure off them, the Lions went back to work in the sixth. Reyes led off the inning and lined the first pitch he saw into left field for a leadoff single. Lazaro Rodriguez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him up and then Silva roped a single over the first baseman to plate Reyes with what would end up being the deciding run.

“My first two at-bats he had started me with a breaking pitch, and they were very close pitches. So I went up looking for a fastball, but in the back of my mind I knew the breaking pitch could come,” Reyes said. “He threw the breaking pitch and I stayed on it and got a base hit. Lazaro came up with a big bunt, and Deyvid Silva had that hit to right field to get that run. If not for that run it would be a tie ball game right now.“

Mediavilla continued to work on the mound, showing poise and focus to finish things off and move on to the next game. That composure proved to be huge when the Knights made one final push in the bottom of the seventh inning. Aided by several consecutive errors with just one out remaining, Creekside scratched across a run and loaded the bases to threaten a different outcome.

But Mediavilla would have none of that. Like an oak, the ace remained calm and confident that this was still his game and that no one was going to take it from him.

“That’s the whole point when you’re a pitcher,” Mediavilla said. “Your defense is just nervous to make the last play. They don’t want to mess up and they don’t want to make errors. As a pitcher, if you look rattled everybody is going to look rattled because everybody is going to think, ‘the pitcher is nervous and I don’t know what is going to happen’. I’m confident and know that I have a defense that, when we’re on, we’ll make every play, and make plays that are impossible possible. That’s all I’ve got to do is keep my composure and set a model for my players.”

One final routine groundout ended the contest, and finally the Lions could relax and enjoy what they had accomplished. Mediavilla was able to celebrate a win that took him 76 strikes and 112 total pitches to get, and the offense and defense could relish knowing they all played their part. Even the guys who did not get on the field could celebrate their contribution, a piece that is not overlooked by their teammates on the playing field.

“They are very important; without them we wouldn’t be the team that we are today,” Reyes said of his teammates in the dugout. “We have their support throughout every at-bat; every pitch they are out there screaming for us and chanting for us. They don’t stop and I owe my team a lot for that. I thank them and I am blessed to have the team that I have.”

Having pitched his final high school start of his amazing career, Mediavilla could not help but feel the same gratitude.

“I’m just proud of this whole entire team, from the coaching staff to the very last player that maybe hasn’t played,” Mediavilla said. “It doesn’t matter; every player on this team has contributed in one way and it is just a blessing to be around these guys. We talked about it, and it’s a blessing to be able to end a high school career on a Major League mound. It’s just awesome knowing you’re out there on the mound that all the great players have thrown off of; just knowing you’re a part of it.”

On Thursday night fellow hurler Kevin Fuentes will get his chance to experience that same thrill, as he will get the start in the Lions biggest game in program history. Fuentes is honored at the chance to be able to pitch for a team that has trusted in him so much, and especially down the stretch during this playoff run. After missing time at the start of the year with a dead arm, Fuentes has come back to earn the team’s trust and confidence.

“It’s crazy and it’s a great experience,” Fuentes said. “Me and Joey Jimenez, ever since we were freshmen we said this was the year that we had to make it. Luckily we’re here. It’s crazy and it’s crazy that I’m going to be the one that is pitching. I’m going to go to bed early tonight and wake up tomorrow and play the game I love. Pretty much that is it; just try to throw as many strikes as I can and try to get my team the win, get us to win our first state championship.”

Although the Lions did not get a ton of support from their school and community to start the season, they are excited that people back home have begun to take notice that they have something special on their team. Back home in Hialeah, the entire student body was watching the game live on television and rooting their team on Wednesday, and the players were overjoyed when they learned of this news. Having that support means a lot to them as they embark on the grand stage of the state championship game.

The Lions have been through a lot this year. After losing their Manager and coaching staff in the offseason, and then again losing their new replacement Manager just before the season started, as well as players during the year, they still managed to weather that storm and believe.

“This whole team kept their composure and kept that one goal in mind,” said Mediavilla. “When we needed it most we started it with Doral, and going forward it’s great knowing these guys never looked back and just kept pushing forward. We never overlooked a team and we’re not going to start now. It’s just a great feeling knowing all of these guys are out here for the same reason. I wouldn’t want to spend my last high school game with no other players on no other team.”

Thursday will be a special day for the club, and especially for the few seniors who will be donning the team colors for the very last time.

“For me and Mike it is not just the first time in the finals but the last time that we are going to be able to play on this team in high school,” said Ortiz. “So it’s a great feeling for this opportunity and I don’t know who to thank for this. It’s great and I don’t know how to explain it.”

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