The Xaverian baseball team couldn’t mount one final comeback.
The Clippers fell to Monsignor McClancy 2–1 in a 12-inning losers’ bracket elimination game in the Catholic High School Athletic Association playoffs at Fordham University on June 8. The postseason tilt lasted just over three hours.
“Obviously it’s frustrating, because it was a very intense game for both teams,” Xaverian coach Frank Del George said. “Both teams had plenty of opportunities to do something and, unfortunately, we just came up short. In high school, it’s whoever makes the first mistake is going to loose the game and that’s what happened to us.”
Both teams boasted phenomenal pitching efforts in the matchup, including a solid performance by Clippers (17–7) starter Peter Terranova.
The senior settled into a rhythm on the mound after giving up the first run in the bottom of the second inning. He tossed four innings before Alex Passarella replaced him in the top of the fifth.
“I have the utmost regard for our pitching staff all year long,” Del George said. “They kept us in the game, and it all came down to pitching. In high school, you’re not going to get a lot of hits every game, so it’s going to come down to pitching and defense.”
Xaverian evened up the score in the sixth inning when a McClancy throwing miscue allowed Joe Scaramuzzino to sprint across home.
Passarella kept the Clippers in the game, forcing McClancy centerfielder Quentin Holmes to fly out in the bottom of the seventh inning, stranding two runners on base, and forcing the game into extras.
“This is a pretty seasoned team, we had a lot of seniors on this team,” Del George said. “We tried to build that attitude in them this season to never give up. They do have some comeback in them, and they’ve been doing that all season long.”
The Clippers battled for control in extras, leaving McClancy with the bases loaded in back-to-back innings, but Xaverian’s offense was unable to take advantage of a handful of opportunities.
Xaverian’s best chance to break things open came in the 11th inning when Luke McDonald and Shamus Connely each connected on singles. The pair were stranded, however, when McClancy reliever Ryan Neuweiler forced a ground out to end the inning.
Pietro Rodriguez put the Clippers down in order in the top of the 12th inning, and McClancy star Charlie Neuweiler followed up with the game-winning play in the bottom of the stanza.
The junior standout connected on a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring his twin brother Ryan for the game’s final score.
It was an exhausting matchup for Xaverian — and a tough end to the season. Still, it’s difficult for the Clippers to be too disappointed. This is a team that battled throughout the postseason and, in the end, came up just a bit short.
“All in all, the season was definitely very successful,” Del George said. “It’s just that, at Xaverian, we really expect to win a city championship every year. That’s the way these kids approached the season.”
