Neumann-Goretti repeats as state baseball champion
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Fittingly, Neumann-Goretti's run in the PIAA state baseball playoffs closed with another nail-biting finish. For the fourth straight game, this time in Friday's final against District 6's Bishop McCort, the Saints survived a tense ending.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Fittingly, Neumann-Goretti's run in the PIAA state baseball playoffs closed with another nail-biting finish.
For the fourth straight game, this time in Friday's final against District 6's Bishop McCort, the Saints survived a tense ending.
With the bases jammed and the tying run on first base, sophomore righthander Joe Messina halted the drama with a strikeout that clinched a 7-4 triumph at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Messina & Co. then began celebrating their second straight Class 2A championship with a dog pile near the mound.
Last year's title was also gained against Johnstown's McCort, by a 3-0 decision. The Crimson Crushers were hurt in the rematch by four errors and two wild pitches.
"There were some nerves in the seventh," Neumann-Goretti senior shortstop Jared Healey said. "But I knew when [Messina] got in the jam that he would get out of it."
Neumann-Goretti nipped Dock Mennonite, 4-3, in the first round of states. They overcame a 7-0 deficit to beat Old Forge, 13-10, in the quarterfinals and nipped Bellwood-Antis, 10-9, in the semifinals.
If that trend continues, first-year head coach Mike Zolk's brown hair may turn gray much sooner than expected.
"This feels awesome," said 23-year-old, a former standout infielder for the Saints. "The pressure is on me constantly, especially in games like this, but I love it."
As they did last year, Neumann-Goretti recovered from a slow start to claim Catholic League, District 12 and state crowns. They went 2-5 out of the gate in 2016 and 0-3 this season.
"We had a group meeting after that third loss, hashed things out, and starting playing as a team," senior rightfielder Brian Reynolds said.
Reynolds, who scored a pair of runs against McCort, spent three years at Prep Charter before transferring to Neumann-Goretti.
"We didn't do too well in baseball there, so this was a pleasant change," said Reynolds, who turned 18 Friday and will continue his career at Penn State-Abington.
The Saints (23-4) produced four hits and, with the aid of McCort catcher Boston Bradley's two-base throwing error, seized a 5-0 advantage in their first trip to the plate.
Eric Nardini and Phil Sanborn highlighted the early outburst with back-to-back RBI singles. Steve Pizza and Reynolds, both of whom walked, scored on Bradley's wild pickoff throw to third base.
The Crushers (19-8) cut the gap to 5-3 in the visiting fourth on Cameron Bunn's two-run single.
Reynolds (single up the middle) and George Masciulli (walk) scored on wild pitches in the fifth to increase Neumann-Goretti's advantage to 7-3.
Sanborn, a senior lefthander, started and went 42/3 innings to pick up his eighth victory against one loss. He yielded eight hits, fanned seven and walked three.
Following a 1-2-3 sixth, Messina issued two walks to start the seventh. After a fielder's choice grounder and pop-up to first base, he plunked a batter and issued a third free pass to make it 7-4.
Just when Zolk was thinking of turning to Healey, Messina picked up his third save of the season by tossing an 0-2 fastball past Bunn.
"This is amazing," Healey said. "We're a small school from South Philly, but we find a way to get it done with hard work and a ton of heart."
Bishop McCort 001 200 1 - 4 8 4
Neumann-Goretti 500 020 x - 7 7 2
WP: Phil Sanborn. LP. Brenden Lavely. 2B: NG-Jared Healey.