St. John’s Country Day Walks Off Miami Christian For 2A Title

Photo Gallery

On their third straight walk-off win, the St. John’s Country Day Spartans claimed a 4-3 win over the Miami Christian Victors to win the Class 2A state championship, Wednesday morning at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. A passed ball in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed senior Connor O’Steen to come home and record the winning run.

“This is the first state championship in Clay County history, and we’re very proud of that,” St. John’s Country Day Manager Tom Lucas said.

It was an anti-climatic ending that came after an epic game that highlighted everything great about playing the game of baseball on the esteemed stage of a Major League field in the state championship. This was the grand finale of the entire season, what both teams had worked all year for, and both sides left it on the field to compete for the coveted trophy. The biggest winners of all were the fans who got to witness such baseball at its finest.

“It was a really tough game,” Miami Christian Manager Chris Cuadra said. “We made some mistakes early, we got back in the game, and we just couldn’t catch a break, I feel. Certain plays didn’t go our way, and it happens. That’s baseball. We’ve never been on this side of the losing, but it happens.”

By the way these two teams competed, fans were prepared to see anything by the end of it. The Spartans (25-6) struck first to take the lead in the third, but the Victors keep clawing back and eventually tied things back up in the seventh inning. To no one’s surprise, it took an extra inning of play to ultimately determine the outcome. Befitting the magnitude of each moment, both sides were intense and aggressive from the first pitch to the very last.

“Always respect your opponent and never think your better than anyone. Baseball will humble you really fast,” Cuadra said. “You’ve always got to work harder than anyone. We came up short, but these guys who are seniors, I am sure it is going to teach them something for when they get to college. They have to outwork anyone that is in front of them.”

With the game tied and the momentum working against them heading into extra innings, Gavin Coffey did his part to perform like a seasoned veteran who did not resemble any normal freshman on the mound in such a pressure situation. Coffey responded with a scoreless frame, working around a two-out walk to Dylan Prince to then end the inning thanks to a great diving catch from shortstop Kolt Myers.

The Spartans rewarded all that great defense by finishing things off with their first swings in extra innings. T.J. Sunderhaus singled to center to get it going, and Hunter Rodgers dropped down a bunt and reached for a base hit that landed runners on the corners. Miami Christian responded to catch the lead runner attempting to score on a passed ball, but the play also allowed O’Steen to reach third, after he came in as a pinch-runner for Rodgers. When the ball got away from the backstop again, O’Steen seized the moment and raced home for the biggest run ever scored in Clay County history.

Country Day did all the rest of its scoring by tallying three runs in the bottom of the third. Gabriel Gilliand singled to lead off, but was erased on a fielder’s choice from Kyle Boylston. Myers then connected for an RBI singe to left that ultimately put him on third base off an error. James Gilson walked to put runners on the corners, and Seth Alford kept it going with an RBI single to left that drove in both base runners.

That slim lead nearly held up. Miami Christian answered back to get on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the fourth. Ronny Cruz lined a single to start it off, Ray Yero walked and then Alejandro Abreut smacked an RBI single to left to send Cruz home.

The Victors continued to pressure, but kept being held back. Christian De Los Santos made excellent contact for a liner to the left on the double play by Alford, who snared the ball and then doubled off a base runner to quell a threat in the sixth.

But a wild seventh inning brought in two runs and allowed Miami Christian to finally tie it back up. Mike Palenzuela and Kevin Bruno both singled to get things started, and Julio Gonzalez advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Willy Mendez followed with an RBI single to right, and then Cruz tied the game at 3-3 with a sac-fly RBI that allowed Bruno to tag up and score.

“That team did not go away,” Lucas said. “There are a lot of teams, once they tie you like that, you are so close to winning it and they take that momentum, sometimes it is hard to get that momentum back. So I’m just really proud of this team to bounce back.”

Just as it had done all year, St. John’s Country Day had its best stuff in the end when it was needed most. The team had seen that state title slip away at the very end before, but this time they made sure their ending would be different.

“I’ve been on the other side two times. This is our third time here and we’ve lost it here, so I get it,” Lucas said. “Miami Christian just played hard, and those are some tough kids. They are battle-tested and they were not going to go away easily. I think both teams coming together and embracing each other and respecting it, that was just one great game, well-played on both sides. Somebody has to win it and somebody has to lose it. They brought out the best in each other, and then came together and celebrated. Even in defeat, they were very gracious and complimented us and congratulated us. It helped display the sportsmanship and talent that both teams had.”

It means something significant to achieve your goals without compromising your morals. So often in sports it becomes ingrained and almost necessary to have animosity toward your opponent. But when you have shed each other’s blood and left it all on the battlefield, there is nothing left but to feel the respect each has earned.

“With the travel ball circuit now, you’re playing with these guys all summer, guys from all over the country that you are meeting,” Myers said. “You’re meeting the top prospects from everywhere, and everyone is just making each other better. It is just a respect thing for the game of baseball. Everyone loves the game and wants to make it better.”

With his young son on his lap at the final press conference, Coach Cuadra reflected on his time coaching Miami Christian and what the future ahead may bring. Although his final decision is not definitively made, there is a decent chance this may be his final season coaching this team that has meant so much to him these past dozen years.

“I’ve had a great run,” Cuadra said. “Now I have to contemplate if I really want to do that, because I really want to go out on top. So it makes me hungrier. For the past twelve years I have poured everything, my sweat and my heart into my work. I feel like I’ve impacted a lot of student-athletes throughout the years. We had a great run and we won three-out-of-four, placed kids in college, got guys drafted. I feel like I’ve left something good, and when you close one door another one opens. Now it’s time I’ve got to dedicate to my son, so that is the reason that I most likely will be stepping down.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!