As playoffs near, the baseball team has a lot to smile about: More than twice as many wins as losses, a former coach taking over as athletic director and a top district ranking to name a few. Now, they can add a 4-0 victory over Seminole to that list.
The team had maintained a strong pattern throughout the season so far, with a 12-6 record (the win would raise it to 13-6). But after a tough 4-1 loss to Creekside two days prior, it solidified their reputation for resilience when they defeated Seminole on March 27, in their first shutout all season. The team had previously beat Seminole 11-1 on March 24, so they knew what to expect.
“I don’t think they [have] the best team,” junior Carlos Cruz said. “[But] they play together, and that makes them better than other not-good teams.”
The team took an early lead with senior Jalin Copeland making a run during the first inning, but Seminole put up a fight on defense for the next hour, keeping the game close at 1-0. Tensions ran high and chants echoed loudly as both teams struggled to score through the next three innings.
During the fifth inning, though, the team hit their stride. First, Cruz hit a home run—his first. Then the team followed it up with two more runs by Copeland and sophomore Isaias Torres before Seminole ended the inning, moving the record to 4-0.
“I feel good,” Cruz said. “It’s the first [home run] in my whole career, and it felt great.”
Senior Keltan Fitzgerald, who had pitched a perfect game thus far, throwing seven strikeouts, switched out with senior Brendan Beldowicz in the sixth inning. Beldowicz and the defensive crew breezed through the final two innings, with zero errors the entire game.
“It’s not the first time [strong pitching has] happened,” Fitzgerald said. “It always feels good to know that you kind of overpower the other team and you didn’t allow them to score.”
The Seminole game also marked the team’s Senior Night, the conclusion to a week of celebration. Parents and teammates decorated the stadium with signs and posters, and gave seniors gift baskets in appreciation of their work throughout the years.
“[Senior Night] makes you reminisce [about] your high school career, and know that you don’t have much time left, but it feels good to be appreciated,” Fitzgerald said.
As the season comes to an end, the team holds out hope to win a district championship. And since they rank first in District 3 Class 7A with only four games left in the regular season, they have a good chance of entering districts as the number one seed. First, though, they will have to take on Oviedo twice in a row on March 31 and April 3, and Winter Springs on April 7 and 8.
