Archbishop McCarthy Comes Back To Win 5A Regional Semi

Whwen we reach this point in the season, it is common for the teams remaining to have dealt with some type of adversity throughout the year. Archbishop McCarthy is one of those such teams.

After losing Manager Mike Fiers to a yearlong suspension, the Mavericks have had to make adjustments as Fiers’ staff took over for the rest of this year.

This weekend, McCarthy players continued to respond. After falling behind 1-0 on Friday in their regional semifinal series, the Mavericks came out Saturday with renewed focus, and swept games two and three by a combined score of 20-4, advancing to the 5A regional finals next weekend.

“The first game, our guys came out and set the tone for the day,” said Mavericks Coach Josh Shapiro. “An outstanding pitching performance from Felipe (Benitez), Cole (Ivey), and Androckles (Larsen), allowing only one run. We needed that type of game, since we came in today down a game in the series.”

While the pitchers were doing their part, McCarthy hitters also made sure early that there would be a third game. The Mavs scored seven runs in the first three innings to lock away the game. Joey Shapiro was 2-for-2, with three runs and two RBIs. Nestor Herrera added three hits, three runs, and two RBIs, while Robert Kerns had two hits.

The second game script was similar, with Derek Winchester throwing six innings, allowing only two unearned runs.

The offense, hoiwever, took a while to get going. Heading into the bottom of the fourth, McCarthy trailed 2-1. Over the next three innings, they would score eight runs, and put the game out of reach.

Shapiro had three RBIs on the game, and Kerns contributed two hits to the 10-hit barrage.

“It was nice to see how the boys came out and played today,” said Shapiro. “We had some big individual performances, but as a team, they played really well. They played with the urgency needed in a short, three game series.”

With the series behind them, the Mavs will turn their attention to preparing for next week’s regional finals opponent, defending 5A state champion Mater Academy. McCarthy knows they will have their hands full with that match up.

“We look forward to the challenge of next week, and we are going to prepare the same way, and hopefully we play with the same focus and execution that we showed today,” said Shapiro.

Mater will host the games, with game one being on Friday night, and games two and three on Saturday.

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