Well, it was one heck of a ride.
The Jesuit Tigers left it all out on the field, but they came up just short in the 6A State final losing to Archbishop McCarthy 5-1 on Saturday afternoon down in Fort Myers.
Mitchell Thrower picked up the lone RBI with a run-scoring single in the 4th. Thomas Bencivenga was on fire at the plate, going 3 for 3 and making a sweet diving play on a line drive to end the 6th inning.
The real story was senior righthander Jeff Hakanson, who in his first career start, kept the #2 nationally-ranked Mavericks to one run over six innings in sweltering hot weather. The UCF commit gave all he had to his team and after six he turned it over to the bullpen and that's when the wheels came off. The bases were quickly loaded in the top of the 7th and then runs came in on two walks, a hit by pitch and a deep sac fly to seal the victory for Archbishop McCarthy.
The 7th inning notwithstanding, this was a phenomenal year for Coach Miguel Menendez and the boys who play over on Himes. A veteran-laden team with a good mix of seniors and juniors who are destined to do some big things next year as well. The seniors will be sorely missed, but the experience gained from this long playoff run will only help the juniors who will try and lead the next class back to Fort Myers next year.
For more on this game, CLICK HERE and for all the best prep coverage, head on over to www.813preps.com
Jarrett and I will be putting together an all-county team for the year sometime this week and it will be up right here on 620wdae.com/jay as well as www.813preps.com
Thank you for all the support this season and we can't wait for next year!!