Heritage baseball upsets Archbishop McCarthy; Doral returns to state

Around the middle of April, American Heritage dropped consecutive games to Florida Christian and Doral Academy, raising questions if the youthful Patriots had enough to go far in the playoffs.

On Tuesday, they gave an emphatic answer of yes.

Behind sophomore right-hander Talan Holiday’s six strong innings, and senior Mateo Serna’s two-run home run, American Heritage upset Archbishop McCarthy, 4-3, to capture the Region 4-5A title.

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Heritage (19-6) now is heading to Fort Myers next week to play in the state semifinals where it will face Lake City Columbia at 10 a.m. on Monday at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. McCarthy (24-6), meanwhile, had its incredible season with a roster of 20 seniors come to a disheartening close.

“I don’t know that anybody outside of these 22 guys expected this,” Heritage coach Mike Macey said. “We were here last year, and we grew from it. We had some losses in the season that maybe we shouldn’t have lost, and here we are. They found a way to win. That’s what we’ve done.”

The Heritage-McCarthy rivalry is one of the biggest in Broward County. For all the times these storied programs have met, none had been with a trip to the state playoffs on the line.

“It’s not about beating those guys,” Macey said. “It’s about winning the regional final. I know these [players] are excited about beating them. They were the next game on the schedule to get where you need to get to. It’s not about beating McCarthy. They’re a great team. It’s always been great games. But like I said, this is about winning the regional final.”

Tuesday was a thriller from the beginning, with Holiday battling with Mavericks’ senior Connor McShane, one of the top pitchers in the county.

Through four innings, McShane didn’t allow a hit, and had six strikeouts. The Mavericks took a one-run lead in the third inning when Ryan Hunter reached on an error, and scored on Justin Lebron’s sacrifice fly.

But in the fifth inning, with one out, Zack Wilson and Zain Diaco drew walks. Chris Levy delivered Heritage’s first hit, game-tying, two-out, RBI single.

McCarthy regained the lead in the fifth on catcher Noah Alburquerque’s home run to left.

But in the sixth inning, Spencer Butt drew a leadoff walk, and Serna crushed a hanging slider for a two-run homer, ending McShane’s night. The senior finished with eight strikeouts.

McCarthy coach Aaron Vorachek felt the strike zone became tighter in the fifth inning. Frankly, both pitchers and dugouts felt the zone had shrunk.

“We elevated a slider because we weren’t getting the slider that we were getting earlier in the game,” Vorachek said. “To his credit, I tip my hat.”

Serna has been a big run-producer for the Patriots all season, and he noted the home run was the biggest hit of his career.

“My first at-bat, I wasn’t really good,” the Patriots’ catcher said. “I wasn’t seeing the ball well. The slider, I knew he was coming with it. He wasn’t doubling up with the fastball, so I missed a couple of fastballs. Then, he hung the slider. I was looking for something outside, but that slider just caught my barrel.”

Holiday got stronger as the game progressed, and gave up three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts in six innings.

“It was just a big game from the start,” Holiday said. “I knew going into it I had to do my job. The guys around me put up runs. I just tried to keep the team in the game.”

McCarthy rallied for a run in the sixth inning. Andrew Ildefonso had a single and scored on Greg Caban’s two-out RBI single.

In the seventh inning, Antonio Turco-Rivas collected the save, receiving help from center fielder Jordan Rich, who robbed Danny Machado of a hit with a sliding catch in center.

“Holiday was very good. Very effective on the mound,” Vorachek said. “They just played a great game. They always say, it’s a game of inches. A ball here, a ball there that lands, and all of a sudden, you find yourself on the other side of a one-run game. It is what it is.”

Heritage has a young team that is growing in confidence. The Patriots have won six straight since losing to Doral Academy.

“This is a brotherhood,” Serna said. “Since my sophomore year, we’ve been coming up. Nobody is selfish. Everyone is doing their job. When somebody needs to get the bunt down, we get the bunt down. When somebody needs the walk, we get the walk. Nobody is selfish on this team.”

▪ Region 4-6A final – Doral Academy 8, Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 7: The Firebirds (24-6) are headed back to state after erasing a 5-0 deficit after two innings. Doral clubbed four home runs led by senior Alejandro Ludeiro, who went 2 for 4 with five RBI to lead the way. Gabriel Milano went 3 for 3 with a solo home run while Robert Rodriguez and Wilfred Gonzalez each also homered. Gonzalez and Daniel Restrepo each had two hits.

Doral will take on Viera on May 23 in a Class 6A state semifinal at 10 a.m. at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.