‘I love every single one of these guys.’
Gomez gives St. Laurence boost in supersectional loss to Nazareth
Senior pitcher Richard Gomez didn’t throw a no-hitter or even earn the win for St. Laurence.
Yet, when removed from the game, he received numerous hugs before leaving the field. As he headed to the dugout, his teammates waited in the front, showing their appreciation.
“I love every single one of these guys,” Gomez said. “They love me, and I love them just as much. They mean the world to me.”
It was a special moment Saturday for the Vikings in an 11-1, six-inning loss to defending Class 3A state champion Nazareth in the Marist Sectional championship game.
In relief, Gomez put together a stellar stretch for St. Laurence (30-9) during a game when everything else was going wrong against the Roadrunners (31-6).
Gomez, who came on to replace Notre Dame recruit DJ Helwig in the second inning, swiftly gave up a double.
But the next 11 batters he faced, he retired 10 and gave up a walk. That helped keep the Roadrunners from adding on, but the Vikings could muster just one run and left eight on base.
Gomez gave up an infield single on a close play at first in the sixth inning, another Roadrunner reached on an error, and after another single, he was removed.
His performance was praised by his teammates, including senior catcher Johnny Wendling.
“He was lights out,” Wendling said of Gomez. “He’s been really good for us. He was good last year, but I didn’t expect what he has done this year. He’s been amazing for us.”
Gomez impressed the Roadrunners, who entered with a seven-game winning streak while averaging close to 10 runs during that span.
Nazareth’s Jaden Fauske, who finished with three doubles and also walked against Gomez, and winning pitcher John Hughes were complimentary with their critique.
“He came at us with a lot of off-speed pitches,” Fauske said. “Their starter was throwing very hard. When they brought (Gomez) in, our timing was off. A lot of us were way out in front.”
“He was definitely mixing up speeds,” Hughes said. “That’s more important sometimes than if you are throwing 92 mph.”
Gomez was projected to be a reliever during the season, but St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus said injuries and arm soreness elevated Gomez into the starting rotation for four starts.
One of them was a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory at home over Marmion, with Gomez striking out 12 and scattering a pair of walks.
“He pitched a lot of those Catholic League Blue games, and he has been huge for us,” Lotus said of Gomez. “We knew we were going to go to him at some point in this game, but we were hoping it would be a little later.
“He did a tremendous job (Saturday) and all year.”
Gomez, who lives in Marquette Park, said he’s the only one in his family who plays baseball. An uncle, Tobias Zuniga, would help him practice
“I picked up a ball when I was little and I started playing T-ball at Humboldt Park,” he said. “I grew up in Marquette Park and love the sport.”
He plans on continuing his baseball and academic career at Concordia in Chicago.
“My summer ball coach, Kevin Garcia, didn’t tell me he was a coach at Concordia,” Gomez said. “Halfway through the season, he started to talk to me about it.”
Gomez wants to major in education.
“I would like to be a high school or middle school teacher and a baseball coach,” he said. “Hopefully, I can do that whenever somebody tells me I have to hang it up.”