Belen Jesuit Holds off John Carroll in a Close One

No 8 John Carroll would match up against No 15 Belen Jesuit last night and the match-up wouldn't disappoint. While the main MLB Draft draws are both position players in Jay Allen of John Carroll and Dorian Gonzalez, Gio Cueto and Jorge De Goti of Belen Jesuit, it would be a pitchers duel throughout the night. 

2021 Marcos Gamboa would get the start for John Caroll and after working around a jam in the first would, cruise through the next four innings. Working mostly 87-88 with the fastball, he worked in a quality slider, curveball and changeup, keeping the Belen hitters off balance all night. 

While Gonzalez and De Goti would both scatter hits off of Gamboa, it would be a two out double from Andrew Lamazares in the top of the sixth that would give Belen Jesuit a 1-0 lead.  Gamboa would finish his outing with a final line of 6 innings allowing one run on six hits while striking out seven. 

2021 Andres Bello would match Gamboa pitch for pitch and then some. Mostly 82-86 with the fastball, he wasn't overpowering, but the pitch did seem to have more life and located well. He also located a quality slider and changeup. While Allen would get a soft single in the first, he and the rest of the Rams lineup would be held to only 6 hits through 6.1 innings from Bello as he would strike out seven and walk none. 

Closing out the game was a very intriguing uncommitted junior in Marco Fuentes. Fuentes had also closed the game the night before and came in showed a simple, compact, athletic arm stroke and a fastball at 87-90 mph. He also showed a swing and miss slider at 78-80 with late down action and got it to around 2400 rpm. He's athletic and newer to pitching, but surely made a strong closing statement in the 1-0 win. 

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