PHILADELPHIA – Second-seeded Neumann-Goretti came into Wednesday afternoon’s Philadelphia Catholic League semifinal matchup against No. 6 Archbishop Ryan ready to defend its 2016 title and advance to the PCL championship.
Senior pitcher George Masciulli and senior shortstop and pitcher Jared Healey combined for a four-hit shutout in Neumann-Goretti’s 4-0 win at Richie Ashburn Field.
In the bottom of the first inning, Saints junior first baseman and outfielder RJ McGettigan loaded the bases after one hit and a walk to set up for an RBI opportunity for senior second baseman Steve Pizza.
Pizza hit a single to bring in two runs to give the Saints an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. A single by sophomore catcher Eric Nardini made the score to 3-0. Neumann-Goretti recorded five hits in the home half of the first.
Neumann-Goretti 4, Archbishop Ryan 0
The Raiders looked for any way to respond to the Saints’ early offensive outburst. Ryan senior Pete Comas recorded the first hit for the Raiders to give them the push they needed, but Ryan couldn’t push any runs across. Strong defensive efforts from the Raiders’ outfielders prevented a larger deficit.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Raiders swapped junior pitcher Brennan Hatala for senior Pat Reilly after the Saints recorded two hits. Junior third baseman Aidan Baur had a double in the frame and later scored from second to record the fourth run.
Masciulli pitched six strong innings, striking out four to record the win. Healey closed out the game on the mound and made plays at shortstop to preserve the shutout in the final two innings.
The Saints started the season 0-3 but turned their fortunes around. They’ve won 17 of their last 18 games to advance to the PCL final.
“We have a great character of kids and a good culture and they’re just playing happy baseball,” coach Michael Zolk said. “They’re just playing their best, and they’re happy to be out here. That’s all there is to it.”
Neumann Goretti will face Archbishop Wood this Saturday at Immaculata University for the PCL Championship Title. Game time is 12 p.m..
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