Barbara Goleman’s baseball team defeated American Heritage, 5-4, in 10 innings last week in a regional quarterfinal game, setting up a showdown with Broward’s Archbishop McCarthy in a semifinal match up.
Goleman, which recently won its third consecutive district championship, got off to a strong start, scoring three runs in the first inning and kept the Patriots scoreless for five and half innings.
The Gators added two more runs in the ninth inning to seal the victory.
Goleman (18-9) faced Archbishop McCarthy (25-2), which is ranked No.13 in the nation, on Tuesday, May 16 at Alex Fernandez Field.
The regional semifinal will be the first-ever game between the two teams.
The Mavericks destroyed Miami Springs, 15-0, to advance to the semifinal game.
The Gators defeated division rival, Miami Springs, 4-2, to win the district championship.
Goleman head coach Tony Lopez said his team’s regular season games against elite teams helped them prepare for the regional playoffs featuring the tougher teams from Broward County.
He said in the past five years, the Gators were eliminated in the regional quarterfinal, facing strong pitchers on the mound and powerful hitters at the plate.
The game against American Heritage was a flip-flop.
Gators’ ace pitcher Adrian Garrastazu cooled off the Patriots’ hot bats and center fielder John Urena’s batting was superb.
Urena’s batting performance propelled Goleman to victory against Miami Springs.
“I told my players we’ve been here before and I needed for them to step up, keep the energy going and stay positive,” Lopez said. “Pitching was the No. 1 thing that helped us win.”