Gonzalez, Jupiter Flex Their Muscle Over Cardinal Newman, 17-2

Jupiter lines up for the National Anthem

Jupiter could not wait for the start of District 8A-9 play on Friday night, tuning up by defeating host Cardinal Newman 17-2 on Thursday night.

Although the Warriors have many tough matchups on their schedule, some teams may get lost in the lights. But that is not the case for the Warriors, as they take the old adage of one game at a time to a higher level.

“Mainly we need to keep the guys focused on one game at a time,” head coach Andy Mook said. “With a tough district opponent in Dwyer tomorrow night, we need to keep the focus. Our motto is we are 0-0. That is how we approach each game.”

Despite the loss, Cardinal Newman, which fields a team with no seniors, showed a lot of dexterity. After breezing through the first eight batters, Crusaders starter Dylan Gordon could not find the strike zone in the top of the third. The right-hander walked the next three to load the bases for Ronnie Healy. Once Healy stepped in, Gordon’s focus changed and he set down the left-handed batter on three off-speed pitches. His composure on the mound kept the game deadlocked at 0-0 through three.

However, in the fourth inning, Healy got the last laugh as he got a curve ball he could handle and crushed it over the right field fence. His three-run home run knocked Gordon out of the game as it gave Jupiter a 6-0 lead.

The trot around the bases is not an unfamiliar feeling for Healy, who has two home runs on the season.

“It feels real good to get a good piece of the ball,” said Healy, who had been set down twice via the strikeout before the blast. “I’m starting to feel good. I’m getting the pitching down and my timing down.”

The Warriors continued to roll after the shot, as they scored two more in the inning. David Tavilla’s line drive brought in the eighth run of the inning.

David Tavilla right before he drives in a run.

With an eight-run lead, Mook lifted his starter, Victor Gonzalez, who pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out five.

After falling behind 10-0 in the top of the fifth, the Crusaders showed a lot of grit, scoring two runs to keep the game alive.

“They really put up a great effort,” coach Daniel Prieto said about the fifth inning. “We are a real young team, so they will be emotional because of that. They need to learn to control that emotion and play at the same consistencies. When it mattered, we extended the inning and continued to put pressure on them.”

However, the Warriors dropped the hammer in the sixth, scoring seven runs on six hits. Gonzalez paced the offense, finishing the night 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Pat Walther, Lance Fry, Cole Johnson, and Johnny McCarthy each had two hits.

The win is a great tune-up for the Warriors, who will face in-town rival Dwyer tonight, but they are not getting ahead of themselves.

“We will wait and see what happens,” Healy said. “We are going to keep our heads at 0-0. We aren’t going to get cocky about this game ’cause tomorrow is a different game.”

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