Costly errors sink Westminster Christian baseball’s bid for record 12th state title

Fates can cruelly change from one day to the next in baseball.

Just ask Westminster Christian.

Shortstop Rene Ramirez, with his bat on Monday, delivered the decisive runs to put the Warriors within striking distance of a state championship.

On Tuesday evening, Ramirez was unable to get his glove on a sharp ground ball hit toward him by First Academy shortstop Greg Pettay.

And the result of that miscue started a nightmare half-inning, which ended Westminster’s title hopes.

The fielding error was one of four committed by Westminster Christian in the top of the seventh inning, which led to all three runs in a frustrating 3-0 loss to Orlando First Academy in the Class 3A state championship game at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

First Academy (31-1) won its first state championship, while the Warriors (23-8) fell short in their first appearance at state since 2015.

“They didn’t get a ball out of the infield, and they got three runs,” Westminster Christian coach Emil Castellanos said. “It sucks, man.”

First Academy first baseman Trent Kelly led off the seventh with a single off Warriors’ reliever Cristian Mejia. He then made it to third when Mejia picked up a roller up the first base line hit on a bunt by Royals second baseman Matthew Perez, and fired it wide of first.

Mejia struck out center fielder Jaden Badstian and pitched to shortstop Greg Pettay with runners on second and third with one out. Pettay hit a hard grounder right at Ramirez with the drawn-in infield. But Ramirez missed the ball as he swiped at it quickly in the hopes of delivering a quick throw to the plate, allowing Kelly to end what had been a scoreless stalemate through six.

“It was a ground ball and he just peeked at him at the play and that was it,” Castellanos said.

On the play, Perez collided with Westminster third baseman Sal Stewart while rounding the bag and First Academy was awarded a second run on baserunner interference. Two batters later, another error by second baseman Christian Bosque’s bobble allowed Pettay to score the third run.

Senior Greg Penton tried to get a rally going for Westminster with a one-out single in the bottom half of the seventh.

But First Academy junior right-hander Ben Barrett, an FSU commit, shut the door with his seventh strikeout to complete a four-hit shutout in which he only walked two batters on 103 pitches.

Westminster Christian’s potent lineup was held to only six hits in two games. The Warriors’ pitching was effective throughout the tournament starting with senior Joel Pineiro’s no-hitter in the semifinals. On Tuesday, Julian Hernandez started and pitched 3 1/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Mejia’s three runs were all unearned as he gave up only one hit with no walks and struck out two over the final 3 2/3 frames.

But Westminster left six runners on base including one in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings.

“We had our opportunities throughout the game and we just couldn’t get that timely hit,” Castellanos said. “I just told the kids I was super proud of them. Those underclassmen know what it takes now to go back there and win the 12th [title].”

This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 7:56 PM.