Montverde Academy baseball is headed to the regional tournament after capturing the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 2A District 6 Championship last week
The Eagles claimed the title with a pair of hard-fought victories, defeating Cornerstone Charter Academy 3-2 in the semifinal round last Thursday before securing a 7-5 win over The First Academy in the championship game on Friday.
With the district crown, MVA (16-8) now turns its attention to the FHSAA Class 2A Regional Tournament, where it has earned the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 seed Foundation Academy in a single elimination game on Friday, April 24, 6:00 p.m. at Francisco Lindor Field.
A win on Friday would send the Eagles into the regional semifinal round for a best-of-three series scheduled for May 1-2. MVA would either travel to No. 2 seed The First Academy or host No. 7 seed Santa Fe Catholic. The series will feature one game on Friday, May 1, followed by a second game—and if necessary, a third game—on Saturday, May 2, all hosted by the higher seed.
If the Eagles advance, they will compete in the regional championship round, for another best-of-three series. Potential opponents include No. 1 seed Lakeland Christian, No. 4 Cocoa Beach, No. 5 Lake Highland Prep, or No. 8 The Master's Academy. As with the semifinal round, all games will be hosted by the higher seed.MVA will be the host if the championship series is against Cocoa Beach, Lake Highland Prep or The Master's Academy, but will play at Lakeland Christian if that is the opponent.
The stakes continue to rise, as the winner of the regional tournament will advance to the FHSAA State Championship Series, scheduled for May 18-19 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida.
Montverde Academy enters regional play with a 16-8 record momentum following its district championship.
In the 3-2 win against Cornerstone Charter Academy, the Eagles got a well pitched game from Andres Morillo who earned the win after tossing 4.1 innings and allowing two runs on five hit. Relief pitcher Drew Fenell earned the save after working out of a bases loaded jam with one out in the fifth inning. Tank Chavous led the way offensively with an RBI triple plus a run.
In the 7-5 victory over The First Academy, Mauricio Zaa went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, while pitcher Alex Bello earned the win in relief after pitching the final 4.1 innings allowing no runs on two hits and five strikeouts.
First pitch for Friday's regional quarterfinal matchup against Foundation Academy is set for 6:00 p.m. at Francisco Lindor Field.
