Gulliver To Regional Final Behind Lofgren’s Gem

In a battle that had multiple lead changes throughout, the Gulliver Prep Raiders (18-10) beat Westminster Christian (18-8-1) 4-2, behind Gulliver right-handed pitcher and Fordham University commit, senior Brixton Lofgren’s complete game.

Lofgren’s performance kept Gulliver in the game, as he threw a complete seven innings, striking out 11 of the 28 batters he faced.  He only gave up four hits, one walk, and two earned runs. Lofgren showed poise and resilience as in the first inning he got into and jam with two men in scoring position and was able to get out of it not giving up a run. The only blemish in Lofgrens performance came in the second inning, as he gave up two runs.

Lofgren began the bottom of the second by walking Westminster sophomore Gabriel Mejia as he was hit by a pitch. The next batter sophomore Austin Wiegandt was then able to reach base by knocking a single into left field, to make it two men on. The following hitter suffered the same fate as Mejia, as he was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That’s when Westminster shortstop Willie Alvarez hit a hard ground ball into left field to score the only two runs for Westminster in the contest, as Mejia scored from third and Weigandt scored from second.

Lofgren was able to get out of the second inning with a couple of runners left on. From that moment on, he took care of business. Gulliver manager Omar Burges was proud of his starters outing.

“He’s our ace, and we rally behind him, and in games like these, were always going to give him the ball. He’s a dog. He’s a senior and he’s been at Gulliver since the first grade, so he’s a lifer here. He was our number one last year, our number one today, and he came out and dominated… he kept us in the game, and we were able to come out on top.”

The Raiders offence was led by junior Jason Marcos, as his at bats were pivotal in the win versus Westminster. Marcos went 3-for-4 with one RBI and a run scored.

“I felt comfortable [at the plate], I felt like I just had to put the ball in play and make things happen, and it worked.”

“3-for-3 today with a RBI, he was our hero today,” said Burges about Marcos’ success at the plate.

Other notable at-bats for Gulliver include freshman Jacob Lombard who went 1-for-2 with a double that was ripped to left field, an RBI, and a walk with a run scored. Justin Parson also had an RBI of his own to contribute to the Raider win.

Westminster freshman left-handed pitcher, and Wake Forest University commit Aaron Hernandez started for his squad. Hernandez, a serious candidate for Dade-County pitcher of the year, pitched well, as he threw five innings, striking out five and only giving up four runs, in which only two were earned.

“I felt confident, and I tried my best. Executed the plays I needed to, but it comes down to who gets the most hits, and who gets the most runs. They took it this game, but there’s always next year.”

Westminster manager Emil Castellanos is adamant freshman Aaron Hernandez will be crowned pitcher of the year, but it was his senior players he wanted to share a final message with as their season comes to an end.

“We teach here that you win with class, and you lose with class. These guys may have lost the baseball game, but they haven’t lost the game of life. Our guys are grounded, and they have what it takes to be successful.”

With the win, Gulliver advances to the regional championship.

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