Mendes powers Jesuit from plate and mound in win

By Jarrett Guthrie
Editor 
Photos by Mike Camunas
Creative Director

February 26, 2022

TAMPA – Business picked up in a hurry to start Friday’s final game of the inaugural 813Preps Bay Bash as Strawberry Crest’s Eli Vickers doubled the first pitch from Jesuit’s Wes Mendes into right field. After Vickers settled in at second though, said business decidedly favored Mendes.

After leaving Vickers at second base in the top half-inning, Mendes helped his own cause at the plate, with a solo home run over the wall in left in the bottom-first and starting off a 4-0, Jesuit win.

“I wouldn’t normally call myself a power hitter,” Mendes said. “I hit two home runs last year, but that one felt good – really good – off the bat.”

Back on the mound the junior lefty fired in fastballs, throwing just one off-speed pitch through the first 10 batters he faced, while allowing just one more hit, issuing two walks, and striking out 10 in five innings of work.

“(Vickers) got that first hit, but that is never going to faze me, I just have to keep bearing down, throw strikes and attack with the fastball,” Mendes said. “That’s what I did and when they weren’t hitting the fastball, I just kept throwing it.”

Jesuit (3-0) got things moving in the fourth when senior Jake Rupp singled in a run through the left side, followed by an RBI sac bunt by Jacob Lozano, and an RBI single for Carter French (2-for-2).

Sophomore McCall Biemiller picked up for Mendes on the mound finishing off the win with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts over the final two frames.

“He’s really electric,” Mendes said of Biemiller. “He’s a good lefty, throws hard, great curveball.”

Strawberry Crest (2-1) couldn’t find a way to do damage to Mendes’ fastball, and except for Vickers (2-for-2, BB), rarely saw second base. Damien Bennett, who had the Chargers third hit, threw out two base stealers (one at third, one second) in the game.

His counter-part Jesuit catcher Josh Hines also caught a would-be base thief.

Chargers coach Eric Beattie said his players let their game-plan slip a little, but he hopes it can be motivation to build on in the games to come.

“If this is a game that we can look at and our guys are willing to learn, which I know that they will be, then this was a good game,” Beattie said. “These are young guys and they’ve got plenty of mistakes in front of them to learn from, and that’s what we’ll treat this as.”

Jesuit heads out-of-state next weekend to play of double-headers against teams from Alabama and Georgia, including Buford (which features Top 5 national prep player Dylan Lesko ’22), while Crest travels to face Armwood on Tuesday.

⚾⚾⚾⚾

Jesuit 4
Strawberry Crest 0

SC 000|000|0 – |0|3|1
J    100|300|x – |4|5|0
W – Mendes (1-0); L – Richardson (1-1).
2B – Vickers (SC); HR – Mendes (J). Records – SC (2-1); J (3-0).