Miami Springs baseball picking up late-season momentum after ‘Field of Dreams’ win

In 2019, the Miami Springs baseball team won a game played at the home ballpark of the Miami Marlins.

A month later, the Golden Hawks were on their way to making their first ever appearance at the state final four.

Fast forward four years to Tuesday morning and Miami Springs was once again on the Marlins’ home field at now-named loanDepot park.

And thanks to some late-inning offense, the Golden Hawks again prevailed, this time with a 6-3 comeback win over Southwest Miami.

Could it be a good omen for Springs?

“Our chemistry has gotten better and we’ve been in a better groove,” sophomore catcher Kelven Perrera said. “We’ve been putting together good at-bats and pitchers are pitching well. We’ve been doing a better job of staying in the fight and becoming a dangerous team.”

Perrera’s leadoff double in the top of the sixth inning sparked a five-run frame for the Golden Hawks (11-5), which erased a 2-1 deficit and propelled them to their fourth consecutive win in the Marlins’ “Field of Dreams” series.

The game was part of a series of games largely involving South Florida teams playing at the pro ballpark.

The past two have been particularly impressive as Miami Springs’ win over the Eagles (12-5) followed an impressive 6-4 win in eight innings over nationally-ranked Archbishop McCarthy last week.

Perrera, an Ole Miss commit, said it was a thrill to step into the batter’s box typically occupied by major leaguers and deliver a clutch hit.

Gio Cutino drove in Perrera with an RBI triple and Ivan Membreno followed with a single to put Springs ahead for good. Membreno would later come around to score on a wild pitch.

Andy Hernandez, who started the game for Springs and gave up two runs over five innings, bunted his way on and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Keyber Delgado.

Miami Springs coach David Fanshawe was coaching the 2019 team that won at the Marlins’ ballpark, but no players from that team are on this year’s roster, making it a memorable new experience for his squad.

“It wasn’t so much about who we were playing as much as where we were playing,” Fanshawe said. “For the kids, it was a moment to play in a big-league stadium and do it in front of family and friends.”

Springs came up one win short of returning to state last season, losing in the regional final to Island Coast.

With most of his team returning, the Golden Hawks entered this year with high expectations, but have been limited by injuries. Springs’ pitching staff has taken the biggest hit with starters Jordan Vargas, a University of Miami signee, and David Davila, a Florida State commit, each limited early on by injuries.

In their absence, Springs has relied on team ace Brandon Olivera, also a UM commit, and Hernandez, a Bethune Cookman signee, who was not expected to pitch much this season.

Davila returned recently from an elbow issue and closed out the win against McCarthy with four innings during which he allowed only one run and struck out six.

On Tuesday, Davila struck out two and allowed one run to close out Southwest.

Vargas, who injured his back just prior to the start of the season, has been able to return to the Springs lineup, but has yet to pitch. Fanshawe is hopeful that will happen in time for the playoffs.

“I think it’s a mental thing having our best players here and that’s our pitchers,” Fanshawe said. “Having them back is a boost of confidence for them. We know we’re in games against tough teams and we have the experience to win those games.”