Murphy and Gloucester Catholic shut out St. Augustine

Someday soon, John Murphy and Mike Vasturia likely will be college teammates.

Each probably will push the other to do his best as members of the University of Maryland baseball team.

That's what they did Sunday as foes on the pitching mound for two of South Jersey's best programs.

"It's a lot of fun to go neck-and-neck with him," Vasturia, a junior at St. Augustine Prep, said of Murphy, a senior at Gloucester Catholic. "You always can learn something by watching him."

Murphy earned the edge in the feature matchup of the two-day, seven-game Coaches vs. Cancer showcase at Millville High School by firing a four-hitter in Gloucester Catholic's 1-0 victory over St. Augustine.

A 6-foot-4 righthander, Murphy struck out seven and retired the final 13 batters in pacing Gloucester Catholic (12-3), the No. 1 team in The Inquirer Top 10.

"I felt really good," Murphy said. "It's great to beat a team like that. They are a great team and we know them well because we play them every year."

The 6-foot-5 Vasturia also pitched a complete game. He allowed five hits with five strikeouts, facing just 25 batters.

One of Gloucester Catholic's hits was the difference in the game - a solo home run by senior second baseman Sean Breen with two outs in the third inning.

"I was 2-0 and I was looking for something I could crush," Breen said.

Of Breen, Murphy said, "He's the best in the state."

Breen's blast provided the Rams' margin of victory in a game dominated by the pitchers.

Murphy took the mound with extra incentive after Gloucester Catholic lost a 5-3 decision to Don Bosco Prep in nine innings in a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in nj.com's state rankings on Saturday night at Campbell's Field in Camden.

"I wanted to get us back on track," Murphy said after tying former Rams' ace Cody Brown for the top spot on the program's all-time wins list with 26. "Especially being a senior."

Gloucester Catholic coach Mike Rucci said Murphy wanted the responsibility of taking the mound less than 16 hours after a tough loss.

"Murph's toughness is unbelievable," Rucci said. "He wants the ball in these situations."

Vasturia nearly matched Murphy pitch-for-pitch in the fast-paced, crisply-played game.

"That's the best I've ever seen him pitch," St. Augustine coach Mike Bylone said of Vasturia after the Hermits' record dropped to 9-5. "He's one of the toughest competitors we have. He wants the ball."

Rucci was impressed with Vasturia's work on the mound.

"He's a tough, tough, tough kid," Rucci said. "He can pitch. He didn't get rattled."

St. Augustine 000 000 0 - 0 4 0

Gloucester Catholic 001 000 x - 1 5 0

WP: John Murphy. LP: Mike Vasturia.

2B: SA-Chris Morganweck.

HR: GC-Sean Breen.