Brito makes regional final

David Vidal took the closer's role to the extreme for Brito on Friday night and by doing so lifted the Panthers past Champagnat 6-4 in a Class 1A regional semifinal at Alex Fernandez Field in Hialeah.

In a game featuring some erratic pitching, Vidal, Brito's closer, was stellar pitching 5 1/3 innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out seven to settle the Panthers (20-5) and stymie the Lions (17-8).

In a typical baseball game the closer usually goes no more than two innings. Vidal, who started the game at second base, asked Brito coach Pedro Guerra for the ball and took it from there.

''I said to coach before the game if you need me to start, give me the ball and I'll start,'' Vidal said. ``But he said to wait. So when he brought me in, I just shut it down.''

Champagnat jumped to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning off Brito starter Leo Rojas.

Rojas, who is the Panthers regular catcher, was making his first start on the mound while Brito ace Lazaro Martija rested.

In the second, Lions second baseman Henry Guevara delivered the RBI single that knocked Rojas out of the game and back to his catching duties.

Vidal entered with the bases loaded and walked the first batter he faced, Lions catcher Juan Carlos Diaz, which gave Champagnat a 3-1 lead.

Champagnat added an unearned run in the third off Vidal, but that would be the last time the Lions would score as the Panthers senior right-hander got in a groove with his breaking ball.

''I noticed before I came in they were sitting dead red on the fastball,'' Vidal said. ``Leo and I just worked them with off-speed stuff and that helped us out.''

Down 4-2 in the top of the fifth, the Panthers got the help they needed at the plate from left fielder Ricky Espinal.

Brito loaded the bases with one out off reliever Guevara.

Espinal, who hit a double off Guevara in the district final, repeated the feat.

Espinal got a hanging inside curveball and drove it down the left field line for a bases clearing double to push Brito ahead 5-4.

Panthers right fielder Jose Gomez followed with an RBI single to right to provide Vidal with a two-run cushion.

Not like Vidal needed any extra runs, he finished the game retiring 13 of the last 14 Lions batters and at one point set down 10 batters in a row.