Baur's dash for home gives Neumann-Goretti Catholic League crown
Aidan Baur hesitated for a moment when he saw the ball bounce away from the catcher and start rolling at a decent pace toward the backstop.
Aidan Baur hesitated for a moment when he saw the ball bounce away from the catcher and start rolling at a decent pace toward the backstop.
"Then I heard my coach [Kevin Schneider] screaming, 'Go, go, go,' " he said. "Once I took off, I knew I had it."
Baur easily scored from third base on a wild pitch, giving Neumann-Goretti a dramatic, 3-2, walk-off victory over St. Joseph's Prep in Saturday afternoon's Catholic League baseball final at sun-splashed Immaculata University.
N-G's fifth crown in eight seasons came in highly improbable fashion.
The Saints managed just one hit off junior southpaw Colin Scanlon. All three of their runs were unearned. And they committed two fifth-inning errors to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead and a shot at their first title since 2008.
Nick D'Amore started the home seventh with a leadoff walk, and Jared Healey reached safely on a grounder that Scanlon misplayed. D'Amore was then erased at third on Baur's fielder's choice bunt to the mound.
After Lou Testa walked to load the bases, Healey came home, tying the contest when Scanlon plunked lefty batter Joe LaFiora with an inside pitch.
With Ethan Pritchett at the plate, Scanlon's low toss hit the dirt and got away from catcher Logan Kellerman. Baur scored without a throw from Kellerman to set off N-G's celebration.
"That's what Neumann-Goretti baseball is all about," Schneider said. "That epitomized this year. We never gave up. Typical South Philly toughness won us that game."
The Saints (15-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first. Leadoff man Brian Verratti hustled to second when Scanlon failed to secure a pop-up, moved to third on Colin Eiser's sacrifice bunt, and scored on D'Amore's liner to right.
N-G righthander Jeff Ciocco struck out seven and scattered five singles while going the distance. The Western Kentucky recruit threw 64 of his 97 pitches for strikes.
Of his team's last-ditch rally, Ciocco, who has sported a mustache but no beard in the playoffs, said: "We fought to the very end. That's what this team is all about. We're bulldogs."
Scanlon's two errors and late wildness were costly, but the Division I prospect's fastball, which topped out at 86 mph, and curveball kept the Prep (11-13) in the game. N-G's only hit was LaFiora's fifth-inning single.
Baur, a sophomore second baseman, received late encouragement despite going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. "My teammates said, 'Keep your head up. You're going to score the winning run.' "
St. Joseph's Prep 000 020 0 - 2 5 2
Neumann-Goretti 100 000 2 - 3 1 2
WP: Jeff Ciocco. LP: Colin Scanlon.
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