Timely hits back up solid pitching as Douglas edges Columbus in baseball state semifinal

Douglas first baseman Chris McKenna kept his eyes on the ball even as he raced into foul ground and toward a near collision with catcher Santiago Ordonez.

The Eagles’ teammates were converging on a pop-up by Columbus shortstop Ariel Garcia with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

McKenna reacted quickly when the ball bounced off his glove and off Ordonez’s chest, giving him a split second to catch it with his bare hand before it hit the ground.

The play finished off a 3-2 comeback win for Douglas over Columbus on Friday afternoon in a Class 7A state semifinal at CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers.

Douglas (27-2), ranked No. 5 nationally by Perfect Game, will face Port Orange Spruce Creek at 4 p.m. in the final on Saturday. Columbus (27-5) made its first appearance at state in three years, but fell short of winning its third state title.

“I was running over to him and I had no idea where he was, but I wasn’t going to look down,” McKenna said. “I saw the ball in my hand, and time froze at that point.”

McKenna trusted that either he or Ordonez would make the catch for the clinching out.

Just as he trusted Douglas’ pitchers, Christian Rodriguez, and Sammy Beir, could limit one of the best lineups in Explorers’ history to just two runs on five hits.

Rodriguez struck out 10 and walked one over 5 2/3 innings while Beir tossed the final 1 1/3 innings without allowing a run and striking out two himself.

McKenna also trusted Douglas center fielder Roman Anthony to deliver in the clutch with his go-ahead, two-run double in the top of the fourth inning, which scored Camron Harris and Grant McDonald to put the Eagles ahead for good.

“Their pitcher was a hard-throwing, two-pitch guy so I just had a two-strike approach,” said Anthony, an Ole Miss commit. “I saw a hanging slider, he missed his spot, and I took advantage of it.”

McKenna got Douglas started on the board with an RBI double that scored Chris Arroyo all the way from first base in the top of the second inning.

But Columbus answered with two runs in the second on a two-run single by first baseman Tony Casanova. The hit was set up by back-to-back singles from pitcher Tyler Marti and Jorge Acevedo to put runners at the corners.

“Acevedo executed that hit-and-run, and then we got the big hit with their infield in,” Columbus coach Joe Weber said. “But we could’ve used another run right there. [Rodriguez] pounded the strike zone and threw really well. I thought our kids battled, but you’re up against it when you face a pitcher like that.”

Rodriguez (8-0, 1.01 ERA this season) retired 12 of the next 13 batters he would face after Casanova’s double before issuing his only walk in the sixth to Acevedo.

Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald then brought in Beir, who walked Columbus catcher Diego Prieto, but then induced Casanova to pop up to end the inning.

Beir, a junior righthander, is 2-0 with a save, and has 18 strikeouts and six walks in 13 1/3 innings.

“Christian’s command and his composure were outstanding, and we were able to keep his pitches down and get almost six innings from him,” Fitz-Gerald said. “Sammy was going to be one of our front-line guys, but he was taking this acne medication, which was taking a toll on his body and couldn’t pitch early on this season. But since he got back he’s been huge for us in the playoffs.

“He’s a strike thrower and that’s what you need in the back half of the game.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 7:12 PM.