Miami Christian leaves baseball state finals with unfamiliar feeling after deflating loss
This was not familiar territory for the Miami Christian’s baseball team.
Battling back and rallying from a two-run deficit in the seventh inning? That’s something the Victors are good at.
But suffering a walk-off loss in extra innings to end their season was something new for Miami Christian, which endured the pain of that outcome after a 4-3 defeat against Orange Park St. Johns Country Day in the Class 2A state final on Wednesday.
After the Victors (22-5) tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh to force extras, the outcome was decided when Spartans designated hitter Gibby Gilliard swung and missed for a strikeout and the second out of the inning, but the ball got away from backup catcher Ray Yero. The passed ball allowed catcher Hunter Rodgers to score the winning run from third base.
It was the first time the Victors (22-5) lost a game at the state final four after winning four state titles in their history and three in the past six seasons.
A team so used to piling up in celebration in recent years at Hammond Stadium was left with tears and serious faces as they accepted their runner-up medals and trophies.
“I’ve never been on this side, you know, the losing (side), but it happens,” said Miami Christian coach Chris Cuadra, who acknowledged he is contemplating retirement after this season. “We’ve had a great run. I was thinking of hanging it up, but now I have to see if I’m really going to do that. I don’t wanna go out losing. This makes me hungrier.”
Miami Christian was no stranger to falling behind early this season and coming back, having done so during its final two regional playoff games.
It happened again against the Spartans (25-6), who won their first state championship, as they scored three runs in the third against Miami Christian starter Lucas Rodriguez.
Alejandro Abreut got the Victors on the board in the fourth with an RBI single.
But Miami Christian couldn’t muster any more against Austin Stratmann until the seventh.
“I feel like all season, we never get down,” Abreut said. “We’re a really consistent team that gets punched and we get back up and punch you back. That’s what’s been instilled in us and we did that and tied the game.”
Mikey Palenzuela singled and Kevin Bruno reached on an error to open the inning. Two batters later, Willy Mendez singled to right to drive in Palenzuela. Shortstop Ronny Cruz then tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right center.
Fabio Peralta singled, moving Mendez to third. But the Victors were unable to drive home the go-ahead run.
“We came in ready to play and some of us hadn’t been on this stage before,” Peralta said. “We were never going to back down from anybody.”
St. Johns Country Day had a chance in the seventh with runners on second and third, but reliever Hector Escobar struck out Kody Denault to end the threat.
In the eighth, however, TJ Sunderhaus led off with a single to center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Rodriguez. Sunderhaus advanced two bases after a throwing error by Escobar, who overthrew Abreut at first.
St. Johns could have won the game on a wild pitch moments earlier but Sunderhaus hesitated to run for home and was thrown out at the plate.
On the next at-bat, the passed ball sealed the Victors’ fate.
“It was a back and forth, really tough game. We made some mistakes early and couldn’t catch a break,” Cuadra said. “It happens.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 4:47 PM.
