Tworek, Santaluces Advance By Blanking John I. Leonard

Justin Tworek shut down the Lancers with a dominating performance.

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In what could have been the final start of his high school career, Santaluces’ Justin Tworek was lights out. With his Chiefs facing off against the John I. Leonard Lancers in the 8A-10 play-in game Monday night at Spanish River High, he pitched a one-hit shutout to lead his club to a 2-0 victory to keep their hopes for a district title alive.

With a 2.21 ERA, the right-hander came into the game as one of the top members of the Chiefs’ pitching staff, and his 54 strikeouts were second best in the district. On Monday, it was business as usual for Tworek despite the heightened stakes of a must-win contest. He struck out 11 and faced just one batter over the minimum while going the distance.

“Justin Tworek really stepped up for us,” Santaluces manager Nick Franco said. “It was an unbelievable performance by Justin. We kind of set up our pitching the past two weeks for this moment, for him, and then we got just an unbelievable performance.”

Through the first two innings he was perfect, striking out three and inducing three easy ground balls. In the third, he allowed the first of just three base runners by striking Juan Yambo, who reached on error but eventually was stranded on third. In the fourth, he struck out the side swinging.

In the fifth, Tworek hit Jorge Rivera with a pitch to give the Lancers their second runner of the night. Tworek’s battery mate, Joseph Strzelecki, helped his partner out as he threw a bullet to second base to nab Rivera as he tried to swipe it. Tworek set down the next five in a row throughout the remainder of the fifth and sixth innings and entered the top of the seventh with the no-hitter intact.

That’s when Moises Carrasco stepped into the batter’s box for the first time in the game. Hitting .395 on the season, Carrasco delivered and singled on 1-1 pitch.

“As soon as it got past me I was like ‘Ugh, that’s a hit’,” recalled Tworek, “But I thought my second baseman had it. He made a heck of a play, it just… It was a hit.”

Tworek’s disappointment turned to jubilation five pitches later when his defense picked him up with a 3-6-3 double play. He then struck out the final batter of the game to ensure the win.

“Pumped,” Tworek responded when asked how he felt about the win. “Can’t wait for tomorrow against Park Vista at four o’clock.”

Carrasco, who took the mound for the Lancers, proved to be not only a worthy opponent for Tworek, but also outperformed him in the early going. He was perfect his first time through the Santaluces batting order, recording four of the nine outs via strike outs. In all, he fanned six and gave up just three hits. Neither of the two runs he allowed were earned.

Both of them came across in the fourth. Luke Stemle singled on what amounted to a swinging bunt to third base to lead off the inning. He stole second base and advanced to third when the throw to catch him rolled into the outfield. Jonathan Wake then recorded the Chiefs’ lone RBI of the night by chopping a pitch back towards the mound. The ball ricocheted off Carrasco’s mitt to the second baseman Rivera, who opted to try for the out of Stemle at home. but Stemle was able to squeak past the catcher to score the first run of the game.

Strzelecki scored the second later in the inning after reaching on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat. He worked his way to third courtesy of a throwing error and passed ball and finally scored on a wild pitch.

“We got Stem on third base with no outs, I was just thinking, ‘Hit the ball hard,'” said Wake of his RBI. “I needed to hit it hard and I got a good pitch, swung at it, hit it hard right back at the pitcher. It hit off his mitt and got him home, so I was happy about that.”

Moises Carrasco gave the Chiefs a rough night at the plate.

Carrasco gave up just one more hit the rest of the way, also to Strzelecki. But with Tworek’s dominating performance, the two runs were all it took.

“Give him credit, he pitched a really great game also,” Franco said about Carrasco. “We were just lucky enough to scrap off two runs.”

Strzelecki, who led Santaluces in batting with a .382 average during the season, also was impressed with Carrasco’s stuff.

“His off-speed was pretty good,” Strzelecki said. “His curveball would start at your hip and break over the plate, and I had trouble with that.”

Though the season did not unfold as Leonard Manager Roger Vasquez would have hoped, his team is young, and he sees much to be optimistic about. He points out that Kyle Lamb, a sophomore, pitched a no-hitter during the season and combines with Carrasco, also a sophomore, to form a core group of young arms.

“The potential that I saw throughout the season is that these guys are going to be juniors next year, and they’ve shown that they have arms,” said Vasquez. “So, when you have a team that’s showing you have arms, now it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

For Santaluces, the win pits them against top-seeded Park Vista in a semifinal at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Cobras swept them during the regular season, but the Chiefs are looking forward to the challenge.

“Bring it just like we did tonight,” Wake said about the teams approach. “Bring our ‘A’ game and leave no regrets out there.”

It’s a sentiment that runs deep among the seniors on the squad, knowing that a loss would mean the end of their high school careers.

“Honestly, I know if we lose tomorrow, I’m crying,” admitted Strzelecki. “Last year, my brother was a senior. I cried last year, and it’s going to be heartbreaking. That’s why I want to beat Park Vista.”

It will take more than wanting to beat the Cobras, however. They lost just three times this season, and Franco is aware that they will be overwhelming favorites to win.

“We’re going in with the mentality to shock the county,” Franco said. “They’re a really good team. They’re very talented. They’ve beat us twice this year. They’ve taken care of us for the past four years with this senior group. Maybe the tide will turn tomorrow. We’ll see.”

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