Villanova, Vikes walk off with big win

Updated: March 22, 2011 3:54PM

The victory celebrations keep getting more elaborate for St. Laurence in the Richards Regional.

That makes sense, because the wins themselves keep getting bigger for the Vikings, who are one victory away from a trip to the Phil Lawler Summer Classic finals.

On Tuesday, Charlie Naso got a face full of shaving cream after throwing a no-hitter to beat Marist, the team that ended St. Laurence's spring season.

On Wednesday, Bryan Villanova beat defending summer state champ St. Rita 5-4 with a walk-off homer leading off the bottom of the seventh at Richards. His reward? A face full of shaving cream and a dunking from the Gatorade jug.

It's been that kind of week for the Vikings (21-3), who play Mount Carmel Thursday at 11 a.m. for one of eight berths in the Lawler Classic finals next week in Lisle and Naperville.

St. Laurence staked ace Kyle Wood to a 4-0 lead on Wednesday only to see St. Rita (10-6) scramble back into a 4-4 tie when Stefano Belmonte and Ricky Faron slugged consecutive solo home runs with two out in the top of the sixth.

Wood regrouped and didn't allow another baserunner, finishing with a six-hitter and 12 strikeouts.

"Kyle pitched awesome today as usual," Villanova said. "He just battles."

Vikings coach Pete Lotus agreed: "Kyle did a great job of battling. His offspeed (pitch) has been much better this summer and it wasn't really there for him today."

But Wood picked up his teammates after they wasted a two-on, none-out opportunity in the bottom of the sixth against St. Rita pitcher Eddie Delariva.

"The top of the seventh was huge for Kyle to go out and put up a zero," Lotus said.

And then Villanova came out and put up the "one" the Vikings needed.

"I thought it was (gone)," he said. "It felt really good."

"I thought he had a real good swing on the fastball before that," Lotus said. "(Then) he put a good swing on that last pitch. He's a flat-out good hitter; that's why he's in the 2-hole. He can do a lot of things for us."

So can Wood, who doubled home two St. Laurence runs in the third inning and then scored on Mike Solofra's single. Kevin Smith (3-for-3) led off the rally with the first of his two doubles and scored on an error.

St. Rita pulled within 4-2 in the top of the fourth when Nicco Zych scored on a passed ball and Brian Sicher (2-for-3) singled home Zach Soria. It remained a two-run game till the sixth when Belmonte and Faron connected, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

"This feels great," Villanova said. "It's not making up for spring (when the Vikings were upset by Marist). But it's great beating another Catholic Blue team."

St. Rita didn't go quietly, which didn't surprise coach Mike Zunica.

"We're not going to go away," Zunica said. "He was really throwing well, Wood. Most teams, after they fall down 4-0 to a pretty dominating ace, could check it in. We didn't check it in."

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