FIU signee’s pitching and timely hit propel Douglas to second state baseball title
Douglas senior Chris Arroyo wasn’t going to waste a pitch.
So when he came up to the plate with two outs and the score tied in the bottom of the sixth, Arroyo took a big swing that would deliver his team a state championship.
“When I went up there, I knew the first pitch he was going to throw was the heater because he’s going to want to blow it by me,” Arroyo said. “I just swung at it.”
Arroyo’s RBI single kick-started a four-run inning, which helped the Marjory Stoneman Douglas baseball team secure a 5-1 victory over Port Orange Spruce Creek in the Class 7A state final on Saturday night at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
Douglas (28-2), ranked No. 5 nationally by Perfect Game, won its first state title since 2016 — when it also won a national championship. It was the school’s second state title overall.
“It’s just an awesome feeling, man,” said Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald, who won his third career state title, having won another at American Heritage in 2008. “I just really believed this was a team of destiny and these kids played for each other and loved each other.”
Arroyo, an FIU signee, gave up one earned run on five hits and two walks and struck out five over 5 2/3 innings.
“I started this season really good until I had one bad start,” Arroyo said. “So for me it was about starting again from zero after that. Today, I was just like let’s pump it in there and throw a lot of strikes.”
Spruce Creek (23-9) would tie the score, however, in the top of the sixth when University of Florida signee Brandon Neely drove in the Hawks’ only run with a two-out RBI single to right center field off Arroyo.
Douglas responded by sending nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning, which started with catcher Santiago Ordonez reaching second base on a throwing error by Hawks third baseman Luke Bentley.
After Jake Clemente walked, Spruce Creek senior first baseman Preston Wetherell took the mound to try and bail the Hawks out of the jam.
His defense nearly did as shortstop Evan Mastromauro quickly fielded a grounder by Douglas second baseman Camron Harris and fired to home to retire pinch runner Alex Rodriguez for the second out.
But then Arroyo came through to give Douglas a 2-1 lead.
Then, the inning fell apart for Spruce Creek.
Pinch hitter Rolando Lujo, a senior infielder, came through with a single to right to score Harris. Arroyo then scored on a wild pitch. Senior first baseman Chris McKenna added a fifth run with an RBI single.
The rest was up to Douglas junior reliever Sammy Beir, who found himself in almost the exact same high-leverage spot for the second consecutive game when he entered the game with two outs in the sixth.
Beir, who started the season late due to injury, protected a one-run lead on Friday, by closing out a 3-2 win over Miami Columbus with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
On Saturday, Beir kept Spruce Creek from doing any more damage in the sixth with an inning-ending strikeout.
After Douglas did its own damage in the sixth, Beir pitched a perfect seventh, ending the game with another strikeout and moments later found himself at the bottom of a championship dog pile of happy Eagles’ players.
“I work on my mechanics every day, and I just feel confident pounding the zone and throwing strikes,” Beir said. “I don’t feel pressure when I get into those situations. It’s crazy to think coming back mid-year and coming through like this.
“This moment is insane.”