Alonso bests Venice as Fernandez homers twice
An emotional Marcelo Diaz is met by teammate Julian Batista after closing out the Ravens’ 10-3 victory. Starter Batista and reliever Diaz held a powerful Indians offense to just six hits in the win.
By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA – This is not the senior year that Samuel Fernandez had planned on, at least until Saturday.
Despite constant training and rehabilitation, the three-year starter was kept out of the Alonso lineup for the brunt of the regular season. The Ravens felt the effects, battling to the finish line barely over .500 and eking out a seventh seed in the Class 7A-Region 2 playoffs.
“There’s nothing that he could do, it just took time,” said head coach Landy Faedo. “He came back one time and he just wasn’t ready, so we told him to go and do his rehab. One day, he showed up and worked out a little bit, then he caught a bullpen. I asked him what was going on and he said that he’d be ready for (the start of the postseason).”
Returning for the playoffs after a season-long injury, Alonso catcher Samuel Fernandez didn’t miss a beat in a Game 3 victory, blasting his fourth and fifth home runs of the season while driving in seven runs to double his total for the year.
When Fernandez finally found his way back into the cleanup spot of Alonso’s batting order, he made a season’s worth of impact in just 10 games, but he still had more to give. Saving his best for the most pressure-packed spot imaginable, he literally powered the Ravens to an improbable, come-from-behind 10-3 victory over nationally-ranked Venice on Saturday to earn a trip to the state semifinals in Fort Myers.
Fernandez went 2-for-3 with two home runs (adding to his dingers in the first two games of the series) and drove in seven runs.
The scoreboard says it all … A jubilant Alonso squad points to its come-from-behind victory and first state semifinal berth since 2016.
The visiting Indians (29-5 to end its season) surged to a three-run lead thanks to a pair of RBI doubles by sophomore catcher Jonathan Mauro and a run-scoring two-bagger from classmate and DH R.J. Shields. On the bump, lefty starter Carter Cox was cruising, facing one batter over the minimum over his first three frames.
But a second shot at Cox yielded dividends for Alonso (21-12).
Alonso’s Daniel Despaine yells “Boom!” to his bench after leading off the fourth inning with a double.
Snead State CC commit Daniel Despaine led off with a double crushed to straightaway centerfield. Alvin Santiago followed with a single up the middle to set the stage for Fernandez, who ripped a towering blast over the leftfield fence to instantly draw the Ravens even.
“I was just looking for a pitch in the zone,” Fernandez explained. “I had runners on and I just wanted to get the barrel on the ball. That’s when good things happen.”
Samuel Fernandez (with blue headband) is mobbed by his teammates after his fourth-inning, three-run homer tied the game against Venice.
That one swing of the bat also helped Ravens reliever Marcelo Diaz, who came in for Julian Batista in the top of the frame.
“Pressure-wise, of course it helped,” Diaz said. “Once he did that, I went out with a lot more confidence, but I had a 100-percent mentality the whole game. I was going out hard-nosed, just making sure I could give us some time and a chance to win. That’s all it was about.”
“He’s been money all year,” Faedo succinctly said.
Marcelo Diaz threw 3 1/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball to pick up the Game 3 victory.
Reining in a potent Venice offense with a .322 team batting average set the stage for what has become a winning formula for the Ravens – the big inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, singles from DH Aidan Sansing and No. 9 batter Joshua Abrahante, combined with walks to Raymond Llanes and Despaine put the hosts on top. A costly fielding error allowed another run across.
Venice starter Carter Cox retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, then was knocked out of the game in the fourth inning.
Then came Fernandez, who pounced on the first pitch he saw and sent it over the tall batter’s eye in left-centerfield for a game-changing grand slam.
“I knew it was a tough situation for the pitcher because he was throwing a lot of balls,” Fernandez explained. “I knew he was going to come into the zone and I was looking for something I could hammer.”
After charging a soft ground ball, Alonso first baseman Jordan Campos flips to first …
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… Where pitcher Julian Batista (1) beats Venice’s Jackson Lucas (10) to the bag for the final out of the first inning.
After Bryan Alonso (two walks) singled in Ihonathan Perez (base hit) to wrap up the explosive seven-run inning, Diaz didn’t let the suddenly gaudy lead change his approach.
“Any game is loseable,” Diaz said. “I still knew I had to go out, get on top of the count, and put these guys down.”
Ravens starter Julian Batista worked 3 2/3 innings, picking up a no-decision in an eventual Alonso victory.
The junior did his job brilliantly, finishing up 3 1/3 shutout innings while holding the Indians to 1-for-8 batting with runners in scoring position.
Catcher Fernandez said: “(Marcelo) keeps his head in the game and does a really great job in attacking the batter. There’s nothing much to say to him because we know that’s he’s aggressive in the zone.”
Venice sophomore Jonathan Mauro celebrated his first of two RBI doubles.
Now Alonso has a Friday date in the state semifinals to prepare for, its approach is not going to change.
“All the boys have preached from Day 1 to leave it all on the field,” Diaz said. “We’ve been showing some beautiful baseball, we’ve been showing we’re ready for a dogfight. Nobody’s giving up.”
“I’m looking for them to play consistent baseball, for the guys to step up and do what they’ve got to do,” Faedo concluded. “I’m just a facilitator, they’re the ones that play the game.”
Alonso’s appreciative fan base congratulates its athletes after taking the regional title.
⚾ Class 7A-Region 2 ⚾
Series tied 1-1
Alonso 10
Venice 3
V 010|200|0 – |3|6|1
A 000|307|x – |10|10|3
W – Diaz (0-0); L – Backman (0-0)
2B – Mauro 2, Shields (V); Despaine, Abrahante (A); HR – Fernandez 2 (A). Records – V (29-5); A (21-12).
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Alonso leftfielder Joshua Abrahante jogs in to grab a first-inning fly ball.
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Indians first baseman Jackson Lucas made an excellent grab of this first-inning foul popup.
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Venice third baseman Eddie Zaun (11) didn’t need the help of leftfielder Nic Dunn (6) or shortstop David Dubrule, catching up to a second-inning foul fly.
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FHSAA Hall of Fame head coach Craig Faulkner of Venice chats with the home plate umpire between innings.
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Julian Batista uncorks a third-inning pitch.
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Ravens starter Julian Batista (left) has some words of wisdom for Marcelo Diaz as the junior comes in to relieve in the fourth inning.
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Ravens second baseman Bryan Alonso fired across his body to retire Eddie Zaun and end the fifth inning.
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Ravens sophomore Joshua Abrahante gets emotional at second base during a game-changing sixth inning.
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Courtesy runner Johnny Rodriguez scores what would be the game-winning run after a sixth-inning, bases-loaded walk to Daniel Despaine …
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Then is greeted by teammates Ihonathan Perez (14) and Jordan Brautigam (24) on his way to the dugout.
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With teammate Aidan Sansing (21) ready for a high-five, Alonso’s Jordan Abrahante waves the “white flag” after scoring a sixth-inning run.
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Alonso senior Samuel Fernandez (with helmet) is all business as he returns to the bench after his game-sealing, sixth-inning grand slam.
