District Semifinal Day In Miami Ends With Some Big Wins

It was a big afternoon and evening of baseball in Miami on Wednesday, with 16 teams punching tickets into their respective district championship games. Among the big winner on the day were, Belen Jesuit, Southridge, LaSalle, Schoolhouse Prep, and Marathon.

We have some instant reaction to the wins, from managers around the county!

Down South, Belen Jesuit took care of business against TERRA, 14-4. The stakes are high for a Wolverines team that not only have their eye on a district title, but also a state championship run. The dominating performance Wednesday, puts Belen in position to face top-seeded Key West in the 4A-16 final.

“Every game at this time of year is important, and you have to treat every opponent with respect,” said Belen Manager Jesse Fernandez. “TERRA played a great game, and it was tight for a while. Jose Batista has been our leader all year, and it was great to see him come out and have a big hit with three hits, and like seven RBIs. It was an important tune up game for what is coming next against Key West. Looking forward to facing them in the finals. It should be a great game.”

Down the road, Southridge, a team that has been highly ranked, and among the best teams in the county this year, also took care of their business by defeating district rival Braddock, 5-1. The Spartans move into the district title game against Doral on Friday.

“Great team win today. Isaac Vidal threw a great game on the mound,” said Southridge Manager Manny Ojeda. “Braddock is a great team, and we had to grind all day today. Really proud of my guys for playing fundamentally sound baseball, and hopefully that leads to the next game. But I am very rpoud of my guys, as they continue to work, and continue to fight to get to where they want to be.”

Even further south, it was Marathon, who again is looking to make a deep playoff run, defeating Moore Haven 11-0. The Dolphins are looking to build off how far they advanced last year, and Wednesday was a strong start for that goal.

“Big district semifinal win today,” said Marathon Manager Joey Gonzalez. “Our offense was able to get out to a big lead, and on the mound, Gabriele Cirina battled for us through the first three innings. we are very excited to bring a district championship game to the middle Keys in a rematch of last years showdown with Fort Meade. All of our pitching is lined up for the game. We are ready for the task at hand, and to start our run at a state title in the Rural Class.”

A little further north, LaSalle has quietly put together a strong year under veteran Manager Nate Gomez. The Royal Lions secured one of the only seeded upsets on Wednesday, defeating JC Bermudez 10-5. LaSalle will love on to face defending state champion Miami Springs in the 3A-15 title game.

“Obviously a big win tonight,” said Manager Nate Gomez. “We have had a lot of one run games this year that have prepared us for this moment. Coach Garcia does a great job over there, and they are a great team. It was a back and forth affair today throughout the game, until we were able to break it open there at the end. The kids have worked hard all year, and its always a battle in the district playoffs. We were able to get it doen today, and now we are back in the same spot we were in last year. Hopefully this year we can get it done.”

One of the most wide open districts in the state is 1A-16. It was anyone’s guess who would emerge as the champion of this district. In the semifinals Wednesday, Miami Christian defeated Brito 5-3, and Schoolhouse Prep took out Dade Christian 15-10. The two will meet for the title on Friday.

“That was a nice way to start off our playoff run,” said Coach Omar Enriquez. “We had some big performances offensively today with Kaeno Hinkel getting four hits, two home runs, and two stolen bases. He also came in at the end and closed out the game in the last two innings. It was a good win for our program, and now we look forward to taking the next step in the district championship game against Miami Christian.”

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