Big Swing From Balsera Lifts True North Over Miami Killian

A huge grand slam in the the top of the sixth inning gave The True North Classical Academy Titans (9-6) the win against the Miami Killian Cougars (5-8), as they took it 5-3.

The game began with early action as both teams were able to put up a run in the first inning. The Cougars had senior right- handed pitcher Alexandro Forte on the mound. He had an impressive outing going four strong innings, where he struck out three and only gave up one unearned run.

“In the beginning, I got a little ahead of myself …but I just focused on going right after the hitter and getting outs”,  is what Forte had to say about his performance. With a fastball, change-up, slider in his arsenal, he went heavy on the change-up to power through his outing. “I was feeling my change-up today, I liked my slider and inside fastball too. I was punching them inside the whole way, and it was working out.”

Forte was taken out after the fourth inning after throwing only 51 pitches. When asked about his decision to take out Forte, Cougars manager Edgar Michelangali said,” We talked to him (Forte). I tend to have very clear communication with my pitchers, and I tend to lead on the side of precaution, especially with these young guys. After that fourth inning, he let me know he was feeling some tightness. Even though he was pitching great, it was in his best interest for him to be done for the day”.

At the top of the fifth inning, freshman pitcher Brandon Pfeiffer came in for the Cougars, who at this point had managed to put up two more runs, one that came in the form of a sacrifice fly by Kevin Nunez in the bottom of the second, and another that came in the bottom of the fourth due to an error that allowed runner Kevin Oliva to score.

As the sixth inning began, the cheers that echoed the Cougars dugout were electric, but that did not phase the Titans, as they had they’re eyes on a comeback. The inning began with quick out, but got out of hand fast when the Cougars found themselves in a jam with the bases loaded and only one down. That’s when sophomore catcher Max Balsera took an inside curve ball deep to left field to blow the game wide open and give the Titans the lead.

“This was my first game back from surgery, so I was just keeping it nice and cool, looking for my pitch”, said Balsera about his grand slam at bat. His teammates celebrated big time as he circled the bases on his way home.”I was hyped… I wanted to do it for them, I wanted to do it for our team and I wanted to show that I’m back and I’m here to make a statement.”

The Titans never looked back after that, as sophomore right-handed pitcher Joshua Perez pulled double duty as reliever and closer, as he pitched the last three innings of the game only giving up one hit and allowing zero runs which earned him the win.

When asked about his duties on the mound, Perez said, “My mentality up there is whatever happens, happens. I just go out there and throw the ball, if a home run happens, whatever next batter. You got to have a short memory up there.”

Titan Manager Adrian Nieto spoke about his team and their come from behind victory.

“You take wins, you know, you take wins, whether they’re pretty or not. I didn’t like the intensity we had, it wasn’t like last game, so it shows that we’re a young team… that’s something we need to be better at”. We also asked Prieto about Max Balsera big time grand slam and what he thought about Max, and he raved about the resilience, perseverance, and determination that makes Max special. Honestly it was crazy. Max has been dealing with a lot of adversity off field stuff, the poor kids been going through a really tough time. This was his first game back, and so it’s great man, he’s been dealing with a lot and he definitely saved us.”

Other notable performances from the game came from True Norths Austin Simmons, a University of Florida commit, who went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Killians David Builes also has a great day with the bat as he went 2-for-3 with a couple of base hits.

 

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