Doing ‘simple things’ right, American Heritage baseball on cusp of state title repeat
The closest Jordan Rich could get to any kind of action during games this season was watching from the American Heritage dugout and handing baseballs to umpires when they needed them.
That changed Friday for the speedy Patriots senior who had been sidelined all year with a shoulder injury.
Rich entered Heritage’s Class 5A state semifinal against Tallahassee Lincoln with one out in the fifth inning as a courtesy runner with his team down a run.
Rich jogged his way to first with Heritage fans cheering as they realized who was making his season debut.
He ran a lot faster when he stole second base and later came around to score the tying run in what would be one of the key plays in the Patriots’ 3-2 comeback win over Lincoln at Hammond Stadium.
“I’d been waiting all season for this,” Rich said. “I had no doubt I could do it. I know my ability and what I’m capable of.”
An inning after Rich scored following a clutch RBI single by Heritage’s No. 9 hitter Joseph Castro, catcher Sebastian Garavito drove in third baseman RJ Machado with a sacrifice fly to propel the Patriots to the state championship game for the second consecutive season.
“Our mentality all year has been a ‘so what’ mentality,” Garavito said. “They get a couple of runs, so what, we keep fighting. I’m really confident on two strikes. I try to not leave things up to the umpires and just put the ball in play.”
Heritage (21-10) will get a rematch with Tampa Jesuit, the team it beat to win the state title last season, on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Patriots are seeking their fourth state title overall and back-to-back championships for the first time. Heritage expects Talan Holiday to start Saturday’s game. Jesuit (25-6) defeated Wesley Chapel 11-1 on Friday to advance to the final.
“This was the same type of game we’ve played all year. We just seem to find a way,” American Heritage coach Bruce Aven said.
Rich is a junior, who plays cornerback on the Heritage football team and is a UConn commitment. His speed was sorely missed on a team that has struggled at times this season on the basepaths.
“Jordan has good instincts. One thing we’ve struggled with all year is taking good leads,” Aven said. “(Rich) took a big lead (on that play) and he needed every bit of it. That (Lincoln) catcher threw sub-2 (under two seconds) to second base. It was going to be ‘bang-bang’ and he needed that jump.
“It was a crucial situation in the game. That stolen base was the crucial play.”
Such plays have been made more frequently of late by a Heritage squad that many questioned early in the season if it would return to the state final this season.
The Patriots lost their first three games and were 8-7 by late March.
“We had to go over all of the simple stuff. We had to look one step in front of us, one pitch, one practice,” Aven said. “These guys have bought into the simple things of the game. It hasn’t come easy for us.”
And it wasn’t easy again on Friday.
Not in the top of the second when Heritage starting pitcher Spencer Krasner fielded a bunt by Lincoln center fielder Tyler Anderson and overthrew first baseman Rafael Furcal, allowing two runs to score.
But Krasner worked his way out of a jam with two runners on and two outs, inducing a pop up to end the frame. He then threw three scoreless innings and finished with six strikeouts and five hits allowed before being relieved by Antonio Turco-Rivas in the sixth. Turco-Rivas would pitch two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
“I just kept my composure, settled down, didn’t pay attention to any of the noise, and just threw strikes and waited for us to get hits,” Krasner said. “You know who believed in us? We did. We wanted it more than anyone else in the state and we’re taking it tomorrow.”
