Central Catholic, Prep start with bang
Central Catholic didn’t look like a program making its Super Eight debut yesterday in Tewksbury.
The third-seeded Raiders, behind a masterful pitching performance by junior Nate Carpenter (eight innings) and runscoring hits by eight different starters, routed No. 6 Xaverian, 11-2, to advance to the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament Saturday at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton.
Carpenter, the Raiders’ No. 3 starter, relied on his defense to escape several jams scattered eight hits while allowing just one earned run. Central Catholic (16-4) is sitting pretty heading into the weekend with co-aces Steve Hajjar and Sam Lara rested and ready to go.
“(Nate) was the key to the game,” Central Catholic coach Marc Pelletier said. “Every time Xaverian threatened, Nate got us back into the dugout. The second key was our outfield defense, and the third key was our ability to get back-to-back hits. We executed today.”
Central Catholic grabbed a 1-0 lead off Hawks starter Dan Chapski in the last of the second inning on a RBI single by Michael Borrelli. A two-out RBI single by Mike LeFebre (two RBI) in the fourth made it 2-0.
Xaverian (13-8) battled back to tie it 2-2 in the top of the sixth on consecutive singles by Aidan McLaughlin and Craig Jones, but the Raiders responded by dropping a four-spot in the home half of the inning. They used run-scoring hits by LeFebre, Noah Lucier and Joe Sanchez (two RBI) to push their advantage to 6-2.
And after Carpenter sat down the Hawks in order in the seventh, the Raiders tacked on five additional runs in the bottom of the inning on hits by Borrelli, Hajjar (3-for-5, three runs), Jake Delaney, and Dominic Keegan (two RBI). Super Eight nerves? Not on this day for Central Catholic.
“This team has never been overwhelmed, and I think they are battle-tested coming out of the Merrimack Valley Conference,” Pelletier added. “We are in a real good position moving forward.”
St. John’s Prep 18, Newton North 3 — A Frank Diorio two-run homer in the first inning kicked off an Eagles barrage that didn’t end until the home plate umpire stopped the onslaught in the seventh inning.
The host Prep (16-5) exploded at the plate in their opening matchup against Newton North and won 18-3 in just seven innings. It was only the second Super Eight baseball game stopped early because of the 15-run mercy rule.
“It feels like any mistake the pitcher makes up (in the zone), we’re just hitting it,” Eagles coach Dan Letarte said. “The metal bats, man. It’s thunderstick time.”
RBI doubles by Dan Frey and Chris Francoeur plated four runs for the Prep in the third and stretched the Eagles lead to 6-3. Diorio (3-for-5, six RBI) belted his second home run of the game in the fifth, a grand slam, to give the Eagles an 11-3 lead.
“The potential (of this lineup) is unimaginable,” Diorio said. “When we really put it together, who knows what we can do.”
A battered Newton North (14-9) pitching staff got a pretty good taste of just how dangerous the Eagles can be. Seven different Prep batters drove in runs. First baseman Andrew Selima was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while third baseman Tyler MacGregor was 2-for-2 with three walks and five runs scored.
Zach Begin got the win on the mound, striking out five and allowing just one hit in 31⁄ innings of relief.
Newton North catcher Cole Whitehouse homered twice and drove in all three Tigers runs.