Hustlers Earn Tough 1-0 Decision in 3A State Semifinal

The Hustlers score the only run of the game.

State Semifinal Photo Gallery

When your team plays its finest game of the season, you expect to win.

As the old adage goes, that’s baseball.

It was perhaps the finest overall performance by any two teams playing in the 2013 FHSAA state tournament. Unfortunately, Florida Christian came up on the short end of a tough 1-0 decision to Melbourne Central Catholic in Monday’s Class 3A state semifinal at jetBlue Park in Fort Myers.

“Even in defeat, you guys will never know how much these guys have accomplished,” Patriots Manager Chris Brigman said. “I’m just amazed at their heart and their willingness to never give up. We felt like we had good approaches; we were squaring balls up. We knew coming in that those guys were very well-coached and disciplined. They made every play. Every tough play, they made it. It hurts, but that’s baseball.”

The Hustlers (22-5) played true to their name, making numerous highlight-reel plays to constantly rob Florida Christian of hits and momentum.

“Those things that happened, wasn’t it amazing?” Melbourne Central Catholic Manager Tom Dooley said. “I don’t think we’ve made that many diving plays all year long combined. It just seemed like every ball was just in our grasp and every throw was right there. We talk a lot about ‘BLT’, which is ‘bold, luck and timing’. We had boldness on the mound, we had some luck and we had some timing; that’s for sure. Those things really came into play. It can be a game back in February or March, but when it’s on the line like this and you see the kids do stuff like that, that’s not coaching. We’ve discussed how mental and emotional baseball is, and when these kids realized it they were not going to be denied.”

The Hustlers played like a team hungry for the right they have now earned to play in Tuesday’s 3A title game against Providence (20-11).

Florida Christian exhibited just as much passion, making every big play in highlight-reel fashion as well.

“They don’t give those state championships away so easily,” said Dooley. “To win a state championship, you have to go out and absolutely grab it and take it. Even then, the other party is going to have their hands on it too.”

What the Patriots (17-12) accomplished this year goes far beyond simply reaching the state tournament, despite how impressive a feat that was when considering the route the team had to take to get there.

Florida Christian is no stranger to the state tournament, having won two titles in the school’s history. This group this season had battled adversity at every step and still managed to succeed through it to end a six-year drought of playing on a stage they have reasonable expectations to reach every year.

Although their title hopes fell short, this year’s squad may see the greatest rewards of what they accomplished in the next few seasons to come. Even in defeat the Patriots renewed the pride in their program and the togetherness that has come to define Florida Christian baseball. Teams like this one have a tendency to improve quickly, and oftentimes they come back even stronger the next time around.

Reaching the state tournament by embodying the team concept meant as much as anything else to this group of players.

“It was just an honor to bring the tradition back over here,” said senior catcher Zach San Roman. “We all worked real hard, and just going out on that field with the Florida Christian ‘FC’ on my jersey made everything. It’s just hard losing. Looking back at the season, we went through a lot. Everybody picked it up; everybody came up big. It was amazing being a part of this team and being up here.”

Patriots’ senior ace Christian Pelaez got the start on the mound, and the left-hander delivered a heart-felt performance in going the distance on 125 pitches. Pelaez has battled through a series of minor injuries and accompanying mental setbacks for much of the season.

On Monday afternoon, he put the rest in the past and put the team on his back in giving them his finest performance of the year.

“I just did whatever I could to help this team win. The season is not about me, it’s about these guys,” said Pelaez. “Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. These have been my guys since the beginning. They made the plays, and Zach behind the plate calling most of the game, he was my guy just like he’s been all season.”

Pelaez was a horse, scattering six hits and walking two while striking out seven in his second complete-game performance of the year.

Chris Pelaez went the distance for the Patriots, recording seven strikeouts.

The Patriots defense wasted no time in backing their ace and showing the Hustlers that they were in it to win it.

John Capra singled up the middle with one out in the top of the first, but was then quickly thrown out trying to steal second base on a perfect throw and tag from San Roman to AJ Puigcerver. Left fielder Chris Gandara followed that up by diving out to rob Nick Capra of a base hit that ended the inning.

Hustlers center fielder Cam Lierman led off the top of the third inning by blooping a slow roller over the mound, where shortstop Mike Tosar dashed across the field to scoop the ball up and fire it to Jack Diaz in time to record the out.

“I was just trying to pick up Chris,” said Tosar. “I know he is hurting and he’s been up and down all year. To see him come out here in states on such a big stage and throw a complete game, I was just trying to pick him up and make the routine plays, even if it’s a little bit beyond that.”

Pelaez expressed his gratitude for Tosar’s effort, especially since the senior was originally the team’s starting second baseman.

“He’s not even a shortstop,” said Pelaez of Tosar. “We had an incident earlier in the year and he took over at short. It worked out the way it could, and this guy put his heart on the line for us.”

In one of the bright spots on the day, Pelaez and the Patriots achieved a baseball rarity when he recorded four strikeouts in the sixth. After recording his third strikeout of the inning to the third batter he faced, Pelaez remained on the mound to keep going as the batter reached base when the pitch went into the dirt and bounced past San Roman to allow him to reach safely.

“I dug it like three feet in front of the plate,” Pelaez admitted. “If Zach had blocked that I would given him a kiss on the cheek. That’s a tough play for him because the ball scooted behind him. I just got to the next guy and I said I will strike him out.”

Melbourne Central Catholic broke through for the only run of the contest in the fourth, as Will Erdman singled home Austin Nickle on a slow roller up the middle to go up 1-0.

Yet again it was Tosar there to make another big play when Lierman drove a shot deep into the left side, where Tosar scooped up the ball and did a backwards spin to fire a perfect dart to Diaz for the putout that ended the inning and limited the damage.

For every big play the Patriots made, it seemed as if the Hustlers countered with one of their own.

John Capra had a leaping catch to snare a liner and rob Ruben Somelian of a hit leading off the top of the fourth, and he again came up with a big play in the seventh as he slid across the dirt to snare a shot in time to record the out on a perfect throw to first baseman Nick Capra.

Nick Capra was the unsung hero of the day, where he stretched his small frame as low and long as humanly possible in order to snag several throws on close plays at first.

Had just one of those hits gotten through, Florida Christian may have been able to turn the tables on the end result.

“If somebody had told me we would have to make four diving plays and a pick in the dirt at first in order to win it, I think we might have changed where we thought we would be today,” agreed Dooley.

Hustlers starter AJ Smith also went the distance, throwing 63 of his 79 pitches for strikes while working ahead to nearly every batter and keeping the Patriots’ offense at bay.

“It’s been a hard year for all of us hitting; everybody has played through injuries” said San Roman. “In the sixth he started to throw a few balls, and we thought maybe we can get to him. Maybe he would walk a guy so we could bunt him over and get it started. But he just kept throwing it right in there.”

San Roman managed to line a single through the left side with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to keep the Patriots’ hopes alive and put the tying run on the bases.

Zach San Roman is greeted by teammates as he gives way to a courtesy runner following his two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.

The next batter connected for a solid line drive, but just as the ball seemed to land all day it ended up screaming straight into the awaiting glove of Hustlers third baseman Austin Nickle. Nickle never even had to move, just simply hold out his glove and let the ball come into it like it seemed to do every time they needed to make a big out.

The fact that the team played so well, that they had the right approach both on offense and defense, and yet still came up short is a fact that leaves a sting.

Yet in defeat the team displayed the character of true champions, remaining humble and positive while accepting that they were beaten by a team that played just as well and wanted it just as much.

“I always thought of states as such a distant type of thing because we’d always come up short,” said Pelaez. “But no matter where I go, to LSU next year and beyond, I’m never going to forget this team.”

For Brigman, his first season as manager was as challenging as any coach could ever envision. Yet the skipper admonished how much this team and this season meant both to him personally, as well as for the program that he loves so dearly.

“I took over a great tradition that was built for many years,” Brigman said. “I’ve been with the program for 11 years and I just wanted to fill the gap. It was six long years that we hadn’t made a run. Just what these guys did, no one else was betting on those guys to get here. It’s amazing and I can’t put it into words. It’s just been an amazing run, and even with today’s results it does not change that.”

Those same sentiments are shared and felt by his players, as Tosar took his final moments of this season to recognize and acknowledge how much Brigman means to them.

“I wouldn’t want to play for any other coach,” Tosar said. “Coach Brigman stepped up. He came in and took this program on his shoulders and he brought us here.”

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