Senior William Navarro has thrown plenty of big games for Nazareth, but even he needed a reminder early in a critical contest with Monsignor Scanlan.
He allowed a run without hit in the second inning and worked his way out of a two-on, two-out jam in the fourth with the score tied. But the Kingsmen eventually snatched up a 6–1 victory over the defending Catholic High School Athletic Association Class A champions at the American Legion Sports Complex on April 11 — all because Navarro’s team refused to let him give in.
“He comes into the dugout and he sees his coaches and his team have faith in him,” Nazareth coach Oggie Quiles said. “They are not doubting him, nobody is hanging their head. They are like, ‘Come on kid, you got this. You have done this before. Let’s go.’ ”
They picked him up in a different way after that, scoring three times in the bottom of the fourth. And Navarro made it stand up — he allowed just one hit over the final three frames.
The hurler felt everything begin to click.
“I feel like everything started to drop down into the strike zone,” he said. “My ball was breaking a lot — my fastball — I was putting it where I needed to put it.”
The win paved the way for undefeated Nazareth to clinch the division title over Cathedral with a 13–1 victory the next day. The Kingsmen, which returned to the league three years ago, lost in the last two title games. The team is now in the best position to return again. Third-place Scanlan is now 5–3.
“We know this year we need to be the team to beat,” second baseman Mike Silva said.
The junior helped put the game out of reach after Scanlan left runners on first and third in the fourth. A bases-loaded walk led to one run, then Silva brought home another on a single to right to put Nazareth (11–0) up 4–1. He added a two-run double in the sixth to cap a two-for-thre day out of the No. 8 spot in the order.
“I was just focused on getting those two runs in whether it was an error or a bunt,” Silva said. “I just wanted to help [Navarro] out.”
The Kingsmen, who had 10 hits, got a strong defensive performance from shortstop Mike Torres and offensive production up and down the order against Scanlan starter Nelson Lorenzo. Leadoff hitter Shamariah McCullough was two-for-three and center fielder Jordan Serrano scored twice. The improved hitting is one of he biggest difference for this year’s team, according to Quiles.
“We aren’t looking for the small ball as much as we did in the past,” the coach said. “We are a better all-around offensive team. Everyone down the line up has really been hitting the ball well this year.”
It is one of the reasons Nazareth has it eye on bringing home the elusive title.
“We are beyond hungry,” Navarro said. “We have been starving for the last two years. It’s time we had something to eat.”
