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Crusaders pull big upset over Providence
Updated: May 5, 2011 6:44PM
Brother Rice coach Dan Szmergalski has been waiting for his young team to come of age.
When he looks back at his first season as coach, he might recall Wednesday as the day the tide began to turn for his squad.
Brother Rice scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to capture a stunning 12-11 victory over No. 4 Providence in a Catholic Blue contest in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.
Conor Sullivan’s two-out RBI double tied the game and Jon Mahay’s bases-loaded walk mercifully ended the marathon that lasted more than three hours.
When the dust settled, the teams combined for 23 runs, 22 hits, 20 walks and six errors.
“This is the exact opposite of what’s happened to us the first 16 games of the season,” Szmergalski said. “We made errors today at spots where we haven’t made any all year and we came up with a slew of big hits in situations where we haven’t been able to all year. We’ve been waiting for a game like this. Different kids stepping up at big moments.”
No player stepped up bigger than pitcher Sean McGrath, who came on in relief of starter Mike Yacko with the game tied at 8 in the third. The left-hander previously had pitched one inning all season. But he stymied the Celtics bats for 4 2/3 innings, scattering five hits and allowing three unearned runs. If not for some shoddy fielding behind him, McGrath would have held the Celtics scoreless.
“I thought I was going to pitch like two innings until someone else was ready,” he said. “I just wanted to throw strikes and let them hit the ball.”
Rice battled back from deficits of 3-0 and 8-3 before making one final comeback in the seventh.
That occurred just moments after Providence (18-3, 8-3) rallied from a 10-9 deficit in its half of the seventh. Nick Gould and Casey Papp coaxed bases-loaded walks with two outs to grab an 11-10 advantage.
“It was an ugly game for both teams,” Providence coach Mark Smith said. “We came out swinging the bats well and they did, too. Their lefty (McGrath) kept us off balance. We battled back. But we did nothing to deserve to win that game.”
Kevin DeFilippis (2-for-4), Dan Potempa (2-for-5, 3-run HR), Nick Gould (2-for-3, 2 RBI) and Matt Trowbridge (2-for-5, RBI) all had multihit games for the Celtics, who used four pitchers. Collin McEnery started and lasted 11/3 innings.
For Rice (9-8, 6-3), Ryan Koziol (3-for-5, 2 RBI), Brian McQuillan (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Jon Mahay (3 walks) and Sullivan (3-for-5, 2 RBI) starred at the plate. Jack Miller got the win in relief, despite walking the two hitters in the seventh that forced in runs and gave the Celtics a short-lived lead.
“The kids kept coming back,” Szmergalski said. “Sullivan came through with the big hit and Sean pitched well. It was a great team win.”
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