CENTER VALLEY — The hole was deep for Lake-Lehman after the first inning Thursday. Then even deeper in the third.
And just when the Black Knights started to climb out, Neumann-Goretti knocked them back down.
Neumann-Goretti batted around in the first, third and fifth innings as the Saints ended Lehman’s season with a 20-4 victory in a PIAA Class 3A baseball quarterfinal game at DeSales University.
District 2 champion Lehman ended the year at 19-6. D12 champion Neumann-Goretti (14-8) moved to Monday’s semifinals to play D3 champ Lancaster Catholic (22-2).
Neumann-Goretti pounded out 15 hits and also benefited from seven walks, five hit batters and four Lehman errors. The Saints took a 6-0 lead in the first and built it to 13-0 after the top of the third. A six-run fifth ended the game via the 10-run rule.
“I told them in the pre-game meeting this game wasn’t going to be lost in the first inning, second inning, third inning,” Lehman coach Mike Sholtis said. “I said it’s going to take seven innings. After the first inning, I re-emphasized we still have a chance. Then the wheels fell off. We just didn’t have our game today.”
Neumann-Goretti pitcher Jameson Masino started the game with two perfect innings and then retired the first two Black Knights to start the third. Mike Sholtis got Lehman’s first hit with a bouncer to right. Cole Morio followed with a single to center and Cole Kaiser’s chopper up the middle scored the team’s first run.
Graedon Finarelli followed with an RBI double and two runs scored on Nick Finarelli’s single and ensuing error to cut the Neumann-Goretti lead to 13-4.
“In the third inning, Mikey started off with a single with two outs and we got a little rally going,” coach Sholtis said. “They’re a great hitting team and kept the pressure on and put another inning back against us. We fought and that’s all you can ask from the boys.”
Masino got a strikeout to end the third, but Lehman opened up the first with a single to center by Corey Bean. He was erased on a 1-4-6-3 double play and was the Black Knights’ last base runner.
“Our bats have been a little bit slow throughout the year,” Neumann-Goretti coach Mike Solk said. “We’ve been striking out a little bit more than we should, but our pitching and defense have really been carrying us.”
Solk said his team used a patient approach at the plate vs. Lehman starter Ty Federici and reliever Gavin Wallace, the next two pitchers in line after Virginia Tech recruit Nick Finarelli was ineligible to throw because he pitched in Monday’s win over Panther Valley.
“The counts when (Federici) got behind we had a good approach and really stuck to it,” Solk said. “Obviously, we were able to put some barrels on balls at big times.”
PIAA Class 3A Quarterfinals
Neumann-Goretti 20, Lake-Lehman 4 (5 inn.)
Neumann-Goretti`AB`R`H`BI
DelBrocco lf`4`3`2`3
Laimo 2b`2`3`1`1
Brasky 1b`5`1`3`3
Dankanich pr`0`0`0`0
McCoach cf`2`3`2`1
Rodriguez ss`4`2`2`0
Suarez c`2`0`1`1
LaSpada ph`1`0`0`0
Smith cr`0`1`0`0
Gural dh`4`3`3`2
Masino p`0`0`0`0
Bocelli 3b`2`2`0`0
Cerone rf`1`2`1`3
Totals`27`20`15`14
Lake-Lehman`AB`R`H`BI
Morio lf`3`1`1`0
C.Kasier cf`3`1`1`0
G.Finarelli c`2`1`1`1
N.Finarelli 1b-rf`2`0`1`1
Federici p-1b`2`0`0`0
Bean 3b`2`0`1`0
C.Sholtis dh`2`0`0`0
Jones rf`0`0`0`0
E.Kaiser 2b`0`0`0`0
Wallace 2b-p`2`0`0`0
M.Sholtis ss`2`1`1`0
Totals`20`4`6`2
Neumann-Goretti`607`16 – 20
Lake-Lehman`004`00 – 4
2B – G.Finarelli. 3B – Laimo.
Neumann-Goretti`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Masino W`5`6`4`4`0`6
Lake-Lehman`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Federici L`2.1`8`10`6`1`1
Wallace`1.2`3`5`3`3`1
C.Kaiser`0.2`4`5`5`3`1
Jones`0.1`0`0`0`0`0
