The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Pirates finish sweep of Panthers
When Rocky River got the better of Elyria Catholic on April 15 behind Thomas Rossi’s walkoff two-run blast — a game Rossi pitched the whole way — 2-1 in eight innings, they ended a losing streak against the Panthers dating to April 9, 2019 with a bang.
Not only did it end a losing streak, it kept Rocky River’s perfect start intact.
It was only fitting in the series finale April 16 at Elyria Catholic that the game started with a bang.
Josh Mommers got Pirates southpaw Rees Heigle early run support with a leadoff home run snuck just over the right field fence on the way to a Rocky River 3-2 win and a series sweep over Elyria Catholic.
Mommers set the tone early, as the Pirates continued a program best 10-0 start in this 2024 campaign.
“It did,” Rocky River coach Ed Piazza said of Mommers’ blast. “We came out after last night not doing anything against them, and we figured we have to get started early. That got them fired up. We have to learn how to continue to put it on after that.
“The last few games, we’ve been struggling with the bats and stuff,” Piazza continued. “Our resilience here lately has just been incredible. They stick by each other and don’t fold, so that’s what (made us) a really good team. We’re battle-tested now, so that’s signs of a good team right there.”
Mommers has been on a tear, entering the April 16 game with a .375 batting average and a home run already on his ledger. When
LJ Hurlbut left one out there, the junior took the opportunity.
“He got me in a 3-2 count. He was a good pitcher. But he left that 3-2 fastball over the plate and I just jumped on it,” Mommers walked through that first at-bat.
When asked about the leadoff homer giving Heigle a bit of a cushion to start with, Heigle flashed a smile and nodded.
“Run support is definitely important, and it took a weight off my shoulders,” the junior southpaw noted, striking out nine in the complete game effort. “Yesterday we couldn’t get many runs across, so it was definitely helpful.”
Given how close both games were — on back-toback days, no less — the Pirates took a few lessons from the first of the two matchups to take another win on the road.
“The most important thing is being able to stay in the game. Staying focused,” Mommers explained. “It doesn’t matter the score. We’ve just got to keep our heads down and make all the plays we can get. (Have) smart at-bats and have some fun.”
Following a weird sequence in the second inning lead to an Elyria Catholic run to knot the ball game at one-all, an error by Elyria Catholic on a Thomas Rossi chopper in the top of the third gave the Pirates the lead again by scoring Mommers.
That run, plus a wild pitch hopping over the backstop to score Anthony Ferchill — following Ferchill’s one-out double — gave the Pirates the insurance run they needed when the Panthers countered with another run coming off Heigle in the bottom of the fifth.
“That was very important,” Ferchill said of the third run. “We haven’t been hitting the ball well as we were in the beginning of
the season these last two games. So getting that extra run there, especially on a lucky passed ball that went out of play, was a really big factor in the game.”
The current 10-0 run to the start of Rocky River’s campaign has had a lot of factors in the success. In Ferchill’s mind, it comes down to the bonds formed with this group — including the many returners like himself, Mommers and Heigle who played in last year’s district semifinal loss against GLC rival Bay.
“I just think that we’re so bonded together and we have so much energy. We trust each other and our pitching is one of the biggest factors,” he said. “I think we’re just buying into what Coach Piazza is telling us.”
The loss for Elyria Catholic drops the team to 3-4 and 1-3 in GLC play. With two one-run games over two days, Coach Bruce Lisicky thought the difference was clear between the two teams over this series.