Jesuit takes two, earns fifth-straight final four spot

Yes! After his 10th and final strikeout of the game, Jesuit senior Ben Burke lets out a yell to celebrate the Tigers’ regional final win. Jesuit won both games on Saturday, winning via mercy-rule in Game 2 and taking a 6-2 win in the deciding game to earn a fifth-straight region title.

By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer

TAMPA – If ever a team was built to handle circumstances like those on Saturday afternoon, with the future of its season hanging in the balance, it would be Jesuit.

Losing a heartbreaking decision in the first game of a best-of-three regional final series, facing the need to sweep a doubleheader mere hours later to advance, can be a daunting task. But the Tigers’ entire identity, from their resilient, team-first mindset and trust in their approach, is built from a brutal regular season schedule designed precisely for this moment.

The plan paid off in two different, but effective ways, against pesky Pinellas County playoff foe Osceola. Shaking off Friday’s setback cleanly and completely, Jesuit’s bats were ablaze in Saturday’s opener at Hyer Family Park to the tune of a 14-1, five-inning mercy-rule pummeling.

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But the visiting Warriors have a reservoir of competitive spirit to drawn from as well, riding an opportunistic offense and the effective pitching of senior Ricky Stegbauer to a mid-Game 3 lead.

Deftly working the strike zone, Ricky Stegbauer kept Jesuit batters off balance for much of his 3 1/3-inning stint.

Once again, Jesuit was up to the challenge. Two explosive innings and one complete-game pitching masterpiece later – from a first-time starter, no less – lifted the Tigers to a come-from-behind 6-2 victory and a return trip to Fort Myers and the Class 4A final four starting May 19.

“You’ve got to give credit to our guys,” said Tigers head coach Miguel Menendez. “I know (Friday) was disappointing, but if we’re the team that I think we are, we’ll find a way to win two games, which we were fortunate to do.”

Make that ways to win.

In the Game 2 opener, Jesuit (now 26-6) got 11 of its first 12 batters on base against Osceola (24-8), jumping out to a quick three-run, first-inning lead and extending its advantage the rest of the way.

“We had pretty good team at-bats (Friday), and we were locked in in the last two innings,” junior Griffin Boesen explained. “We knew what we needed to do, just play like it was just another game.”

Bryce Besece (22) is a one-man welcoming party, greeting Griffin Boesen after his solo home run to lead off the fifth inning.

With that relaxed, confident attitude, Boesen went off, going 4-for-4 with a solo home run while driving in three runs.
When asked if he was playing without pressure, Boesen replied: “100-percent. I was staying within myself, swinging with little effort and letting my body do the work.”

Boesen had lots of company to set the stage for the winner-take-all series finale. Leadoff man Ben Burke had a double, two singles, and was hit by a pitch, scoring three runs and driving in one. Starting pitcher Wilson Andersen helped his own cause with a two-run triple, a single and a walk, also scoring three times. Bryce Besece walked twice and singled, while sophomore Mason Greco continued his impactful postseason with two singles and a walk with three runs scored from the nine-hole.

After allowing a first-inning run, senior Wilson Andersen shut down Osceola the rest of the way, finishing with a five-inning, two-hit victory.

This allowed Andersen to dominate Warrior batters, at one point striking out five in a row. The senior finished with a two-hitter, fanning eight while walking a pair and hitting a batter.

“We came out and gave Willie a cushion, then it was a matter of trying to finish the game as quickly as possible to get as much rest to everybody else as possible,” Menendez said.

Offense didn’t come as easily for the Tigers against Stegbauer in Game 3, as the senior rode solid defense and a pair of strikeouts to string together six-straight early outs. This allowed the Warriors to take advantage of a Jesuit error with two outs and the bases loaded to take a third-inning lead when Zach Spadorcia, who singled and crossed the plate.

Osceola catcher Ethan Futch shows the plate umpire the ball but the third out of the first inning was costly as the collision with courtesy runner Jack Fults injured the senior’s knee, eventually benching him for the rest of the day.

But the Tigers wasted little time repelling this misfortune. Sending eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the frame, they powered their way to a lead they would not lose when Andersen delivered an RBI double followed by a massive triple from Cannon Murtagh. An infield error made the Tiger advantage 3-1 on the scoreboard and even larger in terms of momentum.

Osceola scratched back a run in the fifth when DH Aiden Dyals drove in Stegbauer with a one-out single, but Jesuit delivered the knockout blow in the sixth.

Tigers sophomore Mason Grieco fist-bumps his first-base coach after his third-inning single. Grieco had a productive day offensively for Jesuit, going 3-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored in the doubleheader.

One out away from possibly needing to preserve a one-run lead, instead Murtagh stepped up big once again. With courtesy runner Jack Fults (for Burke, who reached on a fielder’s choice) and Andersen (single) on the bases, Murtagh sent a pitch by reliever Kaedyn Phillips high over the new football press box beyond the leftfield fence for a four-run advantage.

“I felt really comfortable in seeing the ball out of the pitcher’s hand,” Murtagh explained. “On both (the triple and the homer, the pitchers) left breaking balls up in the zone and I capitalized.”

With Griffin Boesen, Wilson Andersen (5), and Jack Fults (11) there to greet him, a beaming Cannon Murtagh celebrates his three-run sixth-inning homer that cemented Jesuit’s regional final victory …

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… Then joins the rest of the team in a jump for joy. 

The extra separation was welcome by Burke, Jesuit’s normal closer turned first-time starter in the biggest game of the season. The senior closed out his complete game eight-hitter with his ninth and 10th strikeouts.

“It’s the same approach as being a closer, just trying to pound the strike zone and make them hit it early in the count, so we don’t have to go deep in the bullpen,” Burke, a crafty lefty, said. “I realized (early) that (Osceola) was looking for any first pitch in the zone, so I expanded the zone and threw some fastballs up trying to get some chase.”

Earning his first start of the year in the biggest game of Jesuit’s season, lefty Ben Burke came though big-time as his complete-game victory with 10 strikeouts helped send the Tigers back to Fort Myers for the Class 4A final four.

“I knew there was nobody I’d rather have on the mound at that moment,” Menendez said. “We kicked around a couple of ideas for Game 3, but we felt it was important for (Burke) to set the tone. He wanted the ball and I said, you know what, you deserve it. You’ve earned that night with the season on the line. He’s a senior, we gave him the ball, and he was masterful.”

Now the Tigers have over a week off before finding out their seed and starting final four competition.

Jesuit’s outfield of Griffin Boesen, Cannon Murtagh, and Mason Grieco (16) strikes a pose after an emotional regional final victory.

For Menendez, possibly having two more games to coach is everything.

“I love it,” he said. “This is what you play for, and I want to win for them, coach them for as long as I can.”

⚾ Class 4A-Region 3 Final – Game 2 ⚾

Jesuit 14
Osceola 1 – five innings

J  335|12x|x – |14|14|0
O 100|00x|x – |1|2|2
W – Andersen (10-2); L – Pembleton (5-2)
2B – Fults (J); 3B – Andersen (J); HR – Boesen (J). Records – J (25-6); O (24-7).

⚾ Class 4A-Region 3 Final – Game 3 ⚾

Jesuit 6
Osceola 2

O 001|010|0 – |2|8|1
J 003|003|x – |6|7|1
W – Burke (2-0); L – Stegbauer (0-2)
2B – Andersen (J); 3B – Murtagh (J); HR – Murtagh (J). Records – O (24-8); J (26-6).

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Using an unnaturally long stride helped Jesuit’s Ben Burke get past Osceola catcher Ethan Futch and score on Griffin Boesen’s first-inning single.

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Boesen wasn’t quite as lucky as Burke, getting tagged out by Futch trying to score on a Warriors’ throwing error.

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Jesuit DH Jay Kirchner gets a high-five from his first-base coach after a first-inning single.

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Tigers third baseman Bryce Besece winds up and fires to first base for a first-inning out. 

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Third baseman Bryce Besece (22) and pitcher Wilson Andersen collide trying to catch a first-inning foul ball. Neither player was injured on the play.

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esuit junior Griffin Boesen thumbs his nose in celebration of his second-inning single, one of four hits he had in Game 2.

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Passing on flipping the ball to teammate Maxwell Wing (left), Osceola second baseman Andrew Wood jabs his foot onto the bag to nip a sliding Bryce Besece (22) for a third-inning out.

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Tigers shortstop Kaden Waechter turns a third-inning grounder into an out.

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Osceola second baseman Joaquin Conley hauls in this fourth-inning popup with his eyes closed.

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“Fans” had two different meanings on a 90-degree afternoon of baseball.

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Osceola second baseman Joaquin Conley handles a second-inning grounder with ease.

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Jesuit courtesy runner Tyler Trombley (32) gets under the tag of shortstop Maxwell Wing for a third-inning steal …

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… Then is greeted at the plate by Cannon Murtagh (2) after scoring on Wilson Andersen’s double.

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As third baseman Andrew Wood calls off a throw, Jesuit’s Cannon Murtagh pumps his fist toward his bench after his third-inning, run-scoring triple.

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Jesuit third baseman Bryce Besece is all smiles after the Tigers turn an Osceola sacrifice bunt attempt into a fifth-inning forceout of Andrew Wood.

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Taking the outside route, Warriors base runner Rick Stegbauer get his hand on the plate just before catcher Brady Marshall’s tag to score a fifth-inning run.

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Jesuit DH Jay Kirchner is doing all he can to cool off on a 90-plus degree May afternoon.

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Osceola shortstop Maxwell Wing holds onto the ball after forcing out Jesuit runner Christian Sheffield in the sixth inning.

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