Southwest topples pair of state contenders on way to GMAC baseball championship

It was quite a 24-hour run for the Southwest baseball team.

On the heels of upsetting top-seeded and archrival Columbus in a GMAC semifinal the day before, the Eagles weren’t even close to done when they showed up at FIU Stadium on Thursday night.

Their sights were set on the big prize of a GMAC championship but with another big hurdle to clear as one of the other top teams in Miami-Dade County, Miami Springs, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, stood in their way.

In spite of the fact their ace, Lucas Elissalt, who shut down Columbus to make it to the final, was unavailable, the No. 4 seeded Eagles were up to the task as they broke loose from a 2-2 tie after four innings to knock off Miami Springs 8-2 in the GMAC championship game.

After winning its first in 1994, this marked only the third-ever GMAC title for the program, the last coming in 2011. Miami Springs (17-4) was in the title game for only the second time in program history, having won it in 2007.

“These kids, they’re a gutsy bunch,” said Southwest coach Mandy Pelaez, who saw his team improve to 19-4. “They’ve all played together since they were young and they got thrown into the fire tonight against another really good team and really responded. To beat two teams like Columbus and Miami Springs back-to-back like this is a real credit to all of them and their determination. A fun group to coach – I love’em to death.”

Somebody else Pelaez fell in love with was a seldom-used freshman pitcher named Jesus Moreno.

After Southwest starter Matt Fernandez struggled through the first two innings, Moreno came out to start the third inning and never came off the mound. Not only did he pitch the final five innings to record the win but was completely dominant against the big-hitting Golden Hawks offensive lineup. After giving up a one-out base hit to Anthony Ruiz in the third, he then proceeded to retire the final 14 batters in order to close out the game.

“I was a little nervous when I first went out there but I was confident that my teammates would have my back with great defense and they were great,” Moreno said. “My changeup was really effective at maybe keeping them off balance but felt like all my pitches were really on all night. Staying ahead in the count was key as well. Once we got those three runs in the fifth and they got me the lead, that’s when I started to relax a little.”

Moreno referred to the Eagles’ three-run fifth inning when, after Springs starter David Davila issued a pair of one-out walks with a Chris Alvarez base hit sandwiched in between, Joel Cabrera stepped up and ripped a shot to right center scoring two runs and chasing Davila.

That was all Moreno needed but he certainly was glad to see his team plate three more runs in the top of the seventh – a two-RBI double by Tyler Duarte the big hit – as the Eagle dugout erupted in jubilation with the big six-run lead.

“He’s really gutsy, not scared to compete and that’s what we like about him, said Pelaez of his young freshman pitcher. “Jesus loves to compete, he wants the ball and we know that he’s not afraid of the big stage. Everybody saw tonight what he can do.”

After Southwest scored once in the top of the first, the Golden Hawks loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning on a pair of walks and a Ruben Gandovilla base hit. A sacrifice fly by Abdriel Delgado and a fielders choice groundout by Arit Moreno brought in what turned out to be Springs’ only two runs of the night.

“A really great night for all us and I was just happy to do my part,” said Alvarez, the team’s senior second baseman who not only went 3-for-3 at the plate, scoring three runs but also made some sparkling defensive plays in the field as well. “Winning this championship was all about just really coming together as a team and all of us having each other’s backs. To beat two teams like Columbus and Miami Springs 24 hours apart and win a GMAC title is major for us and really will give us a ton of momentum going forward.”

Said Pelaez: “Winning the GMAC title is nice and one of our goals but this means nothing if we don’t get it done in the postseason coming up. That’s when it really counts and this certainly will help from a confidence standpoint going forward.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 8:30 AM.