Llanes’ walk-off double puts Alonso in region semis

Raymond Llanes flexes while being held up by jubilant teammate Daniel Despaine after his three-run double earned Alonso a berth in the Class 7A region semifinals.

By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer

TAMPA – For Alonso, the message going into the bottom of the seventh inning was simple.

“The main thing we were telling all the boys was that we’ve got to get on base no matter what,” centerfielder Raymond Llanes explained. “Whether it was a hit by pitch, a walk … we’re going to crowd that plate and we’re going get on for the next guy.”

With a berth in the Class 7A Region 2 semifinals on the line, second seeded Windermere looked to hold the upper hand with a two-run lead and one out away from advancing. But Llanes’ words came true at the last minute, and the junior took full advantage, clearing the bases and sending No. 7 Alonso to a thrilling 4-3, Game 3 victory and a date with No. 6-seed Sarasota starting on Wednesday.

Ihonathan Perez led off the frame with an infield topper that he legged out for a single, only the second given up by Wolverines starter Oscar Fernandez. The gutsy freshman retired the next two batters and faced the bottom of the Ravens’ order looking to close out the victory.

Ravens batter Joshua Abrahante drops down an effective sacrifice bunt in the third inning.

But instead, senior Bryan Alonso and sophomore Joshua Abrahante exhibited patience under pressure, drawing their second free passes of the game, loading the bases and setting the stage for lead-off man Llanes.

“When I was swinging it – it was bases loaded, two outs – and I said I was the man for that position,” Llanes said with a broad smile.

The junior took Fernandez’s offering and laced a line drive to shallow centerfield. Sophomore Diego Rodriguez made a valiant diving effort for the ball, but it skipped just in front of him, bouncing past as Perez, Alonso, and finally pinch runner Johnny Rodriguez crossed the plate then made a beeline to Llanes to start the celebration.

“Oh, man, I performed when I needed to,” Llanes exclaimed. “That’s what matters.”

A beaming Johnny Rodriguez slides across the plate with the winning run in Alonso’s walk-off Game 3 victory over Windermere.

Walk off double against Windermere High School to take Alonso to the regional Semifinals. 2026 Outfielder #uncommitted pic.twitter.com/izNr6gBS6S

— Raymond Llanes (@RaymondLlanes17) April 27, 2025

“That’s what I was hoping for,” head coach Landy Faedo said of the late-game base runners. “We weren’t doing it at the beginning of the game but we didn’t strike out, either (fanning just once on the night). We stayed in there and we kept it close so if we had one good inning, we could do something.”

The way Alonso (17-11) stayed close and eventually eliminated Windermere (22-8 this year and a state finalist last year with 100 wins over the past four seasons) read like a script from a far-fetched movie thriller.

Consider these facts:

Closer-turned-starter Marcelo Diaz battled through his five-plus innings of work, keeping Alonso in the hunt while striking out three Windermere batters.

•. After choosing a different starter for Saturday, Faedo instead handed the ball to regular closer Marcelo Diaz. The junior handled almost everyone in the Wolverines’ lineup apart from junior Randy Ruiz, who drove in a run with a single in the third inning before blasting a two-run homer, his team-high eighth of the year, over the left-centerfield fence in the fifth to break up a 1-1 deadlock.

“He asked for the ball (on Friday) and he kept us in there. He’s a good pitcher that’s having a great year,” said Faedo. “He kept them down to three runs and that was great.”

Randy Ruiz (22) taps helmets with teammates Dublin Warren (91) and Diego Rodriguez (20) after his fifth-inning home run gave Windermere the lead.

•  Continuing the role reversal, senior Christopher Padilla got the call from the bullpen with a runner on in the sixth. The Lynn University commit allowed a single to Diego Borjas, the first batter he faced, but erased the final six hitters.

Starter Marcelo Diaz (left) gets a fist bump from Christopher Padilla as the reliver comes in to pitch in the sixth inning.

“Usually Christopher comes in, then Marcelo,” Faedo explained, although it was amazing that Padilla got the call at all. “(Christopher) had a plantar fasciitis (injury) and his first innings back were this week. I snuck him it to get him some innings.”

•  Alonso’s roster has been running short-handed all season.

“(Padilla was hurt and) we’re still missing two pretty decent pitchers,” Faedo said. “(Senior catcher and Stetson commit) Samuel (Fernandez) just got back and he only had four at-bats until regions.”

Ranging far to his right, Ravens shortstop Daniel Despaine gets to this high hopper for a third-inning force out, one of several stellar defensive plays the senior made in the playoff victory.

•  Stellar defense and the first Ravens’ run came from shortstop Daniel Despaine, someone who has only been in the country for three years.

“He’s an intelligent kid and a good ball player,” Faedo said of the Snead State CC commit. “He made it a point to learn the language and he speaks English fluently. He works every day at it.”

The Alonso bench looks on during sixth inning action.

Now the Ravens are getting healthy at the right time and Alonso is looking to deliver the same effort in the regional semis.

“We’ve got to rest up and get ready to attack Sarasota,” Llanes concluded before exhaling, shaking his head and saying, “Man, this is a great feeling out here.”

Junior Marcelo Diaz (center) screams with joy as the celebration of Alonso’s come-from-behind victory kicks off.

⚾ Class 7A-Region 2 ⚾
Alonso wins series 2-1

Three main cogs in Alonso’s victory, sophomore Joshua Abrahante (11), reliever and winning pitcher Christopher Padilla (6), and stellar shortstop Daniel Despaine (15) come together once again to celebrate.

Alonso 4
Windermere 3