Junior Carson Maranda is the ultimate utility player for Richards. He can be a game-changing catcher, the way he was Monday, or he can operate on the other end of the battery as a pitcher.
Third base or outfield? That’s no sweat, either. And Maranda is ready to go anywhere on short notice.
“It’s amazing,” Maranda said. “I love being that utility guy. Before the game, I ask coach (Jeff Kortz) where I’m playing and I’ll just lock in right then and there.
“If he tells me I’m catching, I mentally prepare for that because it’s a big mental game.”
Maranda was locked in for Monday’s game, throwing out back-to-back runners on stolen-base attempts in the fourth inning while also reaching base three times to help visiting Richards pull off a 3-2 South Suburban Red win over Reavis in Burbank.
Maranda went 2-for-2 with two singles and a walk for the Bulldogs (9-5, 4-2). Illinois-Chicago recruit Sean Cody went 2-for-3 with a homer and raced home for the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Joliet Junior College commit Xavier Fernandez struck out five over five innings, allowing two earned runs while scattering five hits and five walks. Max Kawa tossed two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
Parker Zasada picked up an RBI single for Reavis (12-6, 7-1), while Isaac Velasco reached base three times and scored a run. Dennis Muraida pitched 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and allowing three earned runs on five hits.
Richards broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh when Kawa hit a fielder’s choice grounder but beat the throw to first to prevent what would have been an inning-ending double play. Cody dashed home all the way from second base.
“I’m speechless right now,” Cody said. “I knew it was going to be a close play at first and I knew Max had good speed and he’d beat it out, so I just went home. It was great.”
Maranda, meanwhile, set the tone both offensively and defensively. When consecutive Reavis baserunners tried to steal second base in the fourth inning, Maranda threw them both out.
“I was thinking, ‘I hope he goes, I hope he goes,’” Maranda said. “They ended up going. It was a costly mistake for them. Every time a guy steps on first base, I’m always thinking, ‘He’s running.’
“And when he does, I’m ready.”
Maranda, who said playing third base helped him develop a powerful arm, did some catching on the freshman team but did not play the position at all as a sophomore in his first varsity season, spending most of his time in the outfield.
“After not catching at all last season, I had to take a big leap stepping back in but it’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “Definitely blocking is the biggest challenge. My arm has always been there.
“Framing takes time to get down, but that’s been fine. Blocking is the hardest.”
Regardless, Cody is always confident in Maranda.
“We can always count on Carson,” Cody said. “Carson is electric. Back-to-back plays throwing guys out — that really got us all amped up. And then he’s always doing his job getting on base.”
Richards snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Rams, beating them for the first time since 2019. That was especially meaningful for Fernandez, whose uncle, Ryan Flood, is an assistant coach for Reavis.
“At Christmas, he’s always talking, so it feels good to get him back,” Fernandez said.
Maranda helped make sure Richards would finally break through against Reavis. And Kortz knows the junior leader will always be ready for anything.
“We’ve got him behind the plate because he’s so athletic,” Kortz said. “Last year, he took some lumps at the plate, but he started to feel it toward the end of the season and he’s continued to get better.
“Next year, the sky’s the limit for him.”
