SAFE AT HOME
Tigers too much for Saints
PAWTUCKET – The story behind Tolman High’s 9-1 Division II triumph over city rival St. Raphael Academy at Vets Park on Wednesday can be summed up in two words: 68 pitches.
That’s how many deliveries THS junior Izaiah Rivera needed to weave a neat, complete-game five-hitter (without a walk) and fan eight Saints in the process. As a result, he improved to 5-0 on the bump this spring.
Rivera pitched so well, in fact, he had a perfect game going with one out in the fourth, but SRA sophomore reliever Adam Gomes ruined it with a double.
It nevertheless was a masterful performance.
“Izaiah threw 68 pitches over seven innings, and – in one – he needed three; now that’s economical,” skipper Theo Murray stated after his club improved to 9-8 overall and, more importantly, 8-7 in league action. “He effectively commanded his pitches, both to the inside and the outside of the plate; he did the job.
“Izaiah is a kid who shows up every day to work hard,” he added. “He’s not a kid who talks much and he’s not flashy; he just plays the game the right way, and he did that again here.”
The story from the Vets Park’s first-base dugout was vastly different, as junior righty starter Ryan Sutherland and sophomore Cayden Dupras both had control issues from virtually the first pitch.
Sutherland lasted only one-third of an inning and surrendered two hits, three runs (all earned) and two walks. He also struck out one.
Upon Dupras’ entrance, he went just 1 2/3 after yielding two hits, four runs (all earned) and six passes without a strikeout.
“In the last game Ryan pitches, he was great; he didn’t walk hardly anybody, but (Wednesday) – for some reason – he completely lost it,” veteran head coach Tom Sorrentine explained as his squad fell to 6-9 in D-II play. “I don’t know what happened, but he kept throwing low.”
The Tigers’ offensive stalwarts were numerous: Rivera’s batterymate, sophomore Jeff LaRose, finished 1-for-3 with a walk and three RBI, while senior Noel Hernandez went 3-for-5 with two runs scored; classmate Kyle Depatie 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs; freshman Lonnie Santiago 0-for-2 with two “freebies,” a RBI and a run; junior Bellamy Gutierrez 0-for-1 with two walks, a HBP and RBI; classmate Justin Klemanchuck 0-for-2 with a walk, HBP and two runs; and Rivera 0-for-2 with two passes, a stolen bag and two runs.
Murray admitted there was satisfaction with the triumph, but none of it had to do with the fact it came against a city rival.
“I went to Shea and played in the early ‘90s, and I had a lot of friends who played for Saar at Saints,” he said firmly. “I never looked at it as a rivalry back then, and I don’t now. To me, this was just another baseball game. I’m glad to come out of it with a win, that’s all.”
Tolman started with a bang right after the opening pitch. Hernandez rapped a single to left, then took third when Depatie did the same. On Depatie’s liner, freshman center fielder Taylor Gaspar bobbled the pick-up, leaving the latter free to race into second.
Sorrentine immediately told Sutherland to intentionally walk Rivera to fill the bags, but he walked Santiago to bring in Hernandez. After Sutherland went 2-0 on LaRose, Sorrentine opted for Dupras, who walked him to plate the second run, but he also struck Gutierrez with a pitch, who brought in Rivera.
All seemed pretty bleak for the Saints, but senior No. 8 batter Adam Tremblay popped out to junior second baseman Ivan Rose, who threw to the plate to catch Santiago halfway down the line. When he retreated back toward the bag, junior backstop Devon White gunned to sophomore shortstop Nate Mottur, who tagged out LaRose to complete the delayed twin killing.
The Tigers tacked on four more in the second to push the lead to 7-0. Klemanchuck led off with a pass and took second on Hernandez’ groundout to the hill. He reached third on Depatie’s hit to left (he took second on defensive indifference), then scored on a passed ball.
Senior Ethan Bernardo struck out for the second out, but Rivera and Santiago both walked to juice the bags, and LaRose drilled a two-run single to left. Gutierrez and Tremblay also drew “freebies” to reload the bases, but Sorrentine replaced Dupras with Gomes, who whiffed Klemanchuck to end the frame.
Murray’s bunch made it 8-0 in the third when Hernandez reached on an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Depatie then walked, and Gomes balked them up a bag before a wild scene played out.
Rivera grounded to the second baseman Rose, who immediately rifled home to get Hernandez, but his throw was too low.
The good news for SRA: Gomes fanned Santiago and LaRose to get out of the inning.
In the interim, Rivera cruised, recording 10 straight outs with one down in the back half of the fourth, yet Gomes crushed a double to the right-center gap, took third on Rosa’s opposite-field hit to right and scored on White’s sacrifice fly to center.
That ruined Rivera’s perfect game, no-hitter and shutout in the pan of three batters.
Tolman, however, responded with another in the back half – with two outs, no less. Gomes struck Klemanchuck with an offering, and he moved up on Hernandez’ infield single. Gomes believed he had a chance at picking off Hernandez at first, but his heave flew over junior first baseman Jake LeFort’s head.
The result: Klemanchuck hustled home with ease.
The Saints mustered a hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh (the last a one-out double by Gaspar), but never really threatened.
“The lone positive for us had to be Gomes,” stated Sorrentine of his southpaw reliever, who went the final 5.1 innings and scattered two hits, yielded two unearned runs and a pair of walks while hitting one. He also whiffed seven.
“He pitched really well and had a lot of strikeouts, and also got the hit to break up Rivera’s no-hitter in the fourth – actually it was a perfect game at the time. He did a nice job for us.”
When asked how his contingent took advantage of eight SRA passes in the first two innings to jump to a quick 7-0 cushion, Murray just shrugged.
“Hey, it’s high school baseball, and those things happen,” he said. “We’ve been on the same side of that this year, where we walk a ton or make some errors. I have to say, Saar is going out with Rob Costa, who’s an All-Division player and one of their best kids. He’s out with an injury.
“I know Rob because he grew up in East Providence, and he’s a good kid. That certainly didn’t help them.”
Tolman 341 100 0 -- 9 – 6 – 2 St. Raphael 000 100 0 -- 1 – 5 – 3 Izaiah Rivera and Jeff LaRose. Ryan Sutherland, Cayden Dupras (1), Adam Gomes (2) and Devon White. 2B – Gomes, Taylor Gaspar.