Westminster Christian and North Broward Prep advance to state high school baseball finals

Joel Pineiro said he didn’t realize until near the end of final high school start Monday afternoon what he was about to accomplish.

Until then, Pineiro was just trying to nail down a victory in the most important start of his four years pitching for the Westminster Christian baseball team.

But by the time Warriors’ shortstop Rene Ramirez chased down the final fly ball out in short left field, Pineiro knew.

He didn’t jump wildly or scream though. He just hugged the line of teammates that came to congratulate him, and then let the tears flow.

Pineiro, a senior and FIU signee, completed his first career no-hitter to help Westminster Christian blank Fort Pierce John Carroll Catholic 3-0 in a Class 3A state semifinal at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

“Honestly, I had no clue until maybe the sixth inning,” said Pineiro, whose father pitched 12 years in the major leagues for the Mariners, Red Sox, Cardinals and Angels. “I was more focused on how many more outs I needed to get to finish the game. It was very emotional for me at the end.”

The Warriors (23-7) will next vie for a state-best 12th state championship all-time and their first since 2015 when they take on Orlando First Academy on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Pineiro, who finished his senior season with 90 strikeouts and an 11-1 record, struck out 11 and walked two after throwing 93 pitches.

“He went out like a champion,” Westminster Christian coach Emil Castellanos said. “Besides throwing the best game of his life, he threw a no-hitter against a great team. It was epic for him and for his family.”

Pineiro appeared to give up an infield single in the first inning, but on the play the throw to first pulled D’Angelo Ortiz off the bag. The scoring was later changed to an error during the game.

The Golden Rams never had a serious threat, however, thanks to Pineiro, who consistently attacked the strike zone and kept their hitters off balance.

“Throughout the playoffs, he’s been dominant,” said catcher Jayden Melendez, who is also signed with FIU. “Mentally, he’s the strongest guy we have on our team. He doesn’t let the game speed up. He controls the game. He’s had a great high school career and there’s nobody else I’d rather catch.”

John Carroll starter Braden Calise, a Louisville University commit, also made it tough on Westminster Christian hitters throughout the game, limiting them to only a pair of hits. But the Warriors drove in runs with each.

After fouling off several pitches, Ramirez then lined Westminster’s first hit of the game — a single to right field — on a 1-2 count which scored Christian Bosque and Sal Stewart in the fourth inning to give the Warriors a 2-0 edge.

“I got a little nervous,” Ramirez said. “I fouled off a few balls and I just said ‘It’s time, I got this.’ I fouled off two sliders, a fastball and I think a changeup. I just battled until I got my pitch.”

Melendez added some more insurance in the bottom of the sixth when he crushed a high fastball from Calise nearly 400 feet down the left field line for a solo homer. It was Melendez’s 11th of the season and second in as many games.

WALK-OFF WINNER

Senior Josh Steidl’s RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Jonah Diaz and propelled North Broward Prep (20-10-1) to a 7-6 comeback win over Dunedin in a Class 4A state semifinal.

The Eagles erased an early 5-0 deficit and picked up their first-ever victory at the state final four.

North Broward Prep will try to win its first-ever state championship when it plays Citra North Marion on Tuesday night in the final. The Eagles have won all four of their playoff games since the district round by one run.

After Diaz reached with a walk in the ninth, Steidl laced a ball into the right center field gap off Dunedin freshman Jack Johnson. The ball didn’t stop rolling until it got to the wall, giving Diaz plenty of time to score from second.

Dunedin (18-12) ambushed Eagles starter Shane Huntsberger, scoring five runs on nine hits over the first two innings to take a 5-0 lead. But senior Yoel Tejeda Jr., a University of Florida signee, entered in relief in the third and gave up only one unearned run (in the eighth) over seven innings, on five hits, struck out four and walked two on 75 pitches as North Broward Prep gradually chipped away at the deficit.