Columbus Stays Perfect In 8A-15 With Win Over Gables

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To most Miami high school baseball fans, Wednesday afternoon’s battle between Columbus and Coral Gables was a showcase of two of the top teams in the county. With the district lead on the line, the Explorers escaped on the road with a 2-1 win over the Cavaliers. Just don’t tell Columbus Manager Joe Weber that it was a big game.

“You have to keep things in perspective,” said Weber. “It was great to see the kids come away with a win against one of the best arms in the county, but it still is only a win in February. We are going to see these guys at least one more time at our place, and possibly again in the districts, so we can’t put too much stake in this game alone.”

Maybe not with this game, but with wins now over Gables, Pace, and Broward powerhouses Flanagan and St. Thomas, it is clear that the Explorers are more than capable of going deep into the playoffs in 2015.

“This was a good measuring stick for us,” said Columbus’ Danny Casals. “We have to continue to get better as the season goes along, but this was a good team win. Everyone contributed; it wasn’t just one person today.”

What was expected to be a pitcher’s duel did not disappoint the over 200 fans in the stands. Coral Gables ace Andrew Cabezas went the distance for the Cavaliers, striking out six out of seven batters he faced in the first two innings, and 15 Explorers overall on the afternoon. Columbus ace Chris Coipel was just as good on the other side, allowing only one unearned run in the game, while allowing only six hits and striking out six.

“We expected that this was going to be a 1-0, or 2-1 game coming in with those two guys on the mound,” said Coral Gables Manager Phil Wisser. “And it turned out just as we thought. Neither of those guys deserved to lose today, even had we come back and won in the seventh. They both pitched their hearts out.”

All three of the runs scored in the game were unearned, showing how dominant Coipel and Cabezas were on this day.

After three scoreless innings, it appeared that neither team was going to be able to break through against the other teams’ ace. In the fourth, Jackie Urbaez led off the inning with a single, and Casals followed with an infield hit. That brought clean-up hitter Hernan Sardinas to the plate with two on and nobody out. Weber, however, had something else in mind other than a mighty swing.

Sardinas laid down a sacrifice bunt, and when the throw to third went down the left-field line, both Urbaez and Casals came around to score. It would be the only two runs the Explorers could muster against Cabezas.

“When you are facing a guy that is in a groove like he was today, one run may be the difference in the game, so you have to do some unconventional things, like bunting with the middle of your order,” said Weber.

Casals agreed.

“Whatever we need to do to get the win is good with us,” said Casals. “We play as a team, and sometimes that means giving yourself up for the good of the team.”

From there, it was Coral Gables trying to claw back into the game. The Cavaliers put runners on base in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, but Copiel was able to keep them from scoring in each of those frames. In the seventh, the Cavaliers mounted one last rally.

Pinch-hitter Jordan Morina started the inning with an infield hit, and Franky Montesino singled to left. Anthony Valdes executed a perfect sacrifice bunt that turned into an infield hit, and suddenly the Cavaliers had the bases loaded with nobody out and the top of the lineup coming up. It was then that Weber went to the mound with the intention of pulling his ace.

“His pitch count was getting up there, and I wanted to pull him,” Weber said. “But when I got to the mound, he looked me in the eyes and told me ‘I got this’.”

Weber left Coipel in, and Gables’ Raymond Gonzalez proceeded to cut the lead to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly. Coipel then got Elih Marrero to fly out to left, and Rolando Rodriguez on a liner to center, preserving the win.

“I had to dive deep there, and be mentally strong for my team,” said Coipel.

The win moved Columbus to 6-1, and 3-0 in the district. Coral Gables dropped to 2-2, and 1-1 in 8A-15. Even with the loss, Wisser knows there are better days ahead for his team.

“I told them after the game, we know we are a good team, and we are going to have games like this to get where we want to go,” said Wisser. “It’s a long season, and this is just one game of several we are going to play against these guys, and sometimes, the difference between winning and losing is one mistake here or there. We’ll learn from it, and get better moving forward.”

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