WILSON'S CATCH PRESERVES CURLEY WIN

by Joe DiBlasi

He who hesitates is lost and Archbishop Curley left-fielder Matt Wilson never blinked.

With the game on the line and his team clinging to a 2-1 lead over rival St. Paul's, in a thrilling early-season MIAA A Conference pitchers dual, Wednesday at Curley, Wilson made the play of the game, preserving his team's lead and a victory.  

With right-handed ace Sean Thompson facing a bases loaded, two out jam and Crusader cleanup hitter Austin Crabill at the plate, it was anybody's ball game.  Crabill lofted a fly ball to left that had extra-bases written all over it and Wilson was faced with the tough decision of trying to make a difficult catch or concede the base hit and limit the damage.  He went for the catch and pulled off a spectacular shoe-string snatch.

The assist was all Thompson needed as he cruised through the final two innings to finish off a five hit gem and lead Curley to its fifth win, without a loss, this season.

"I started running as hard as I could for the ball, and I knew I had to make the catch to save the game, said Wislon.

In  the first league game of the season for both  teams, the Crusaders' Matt March mactched Thompson pitch for pitch.   The crafty left-hander only gave up four hits, but was the victim of a throwing error that allowed the Friars to score their first run in the bottom of the third.  The Friars then pushed across what proved to be the winning run on a fielder's choice.

Curley center-fielder Brandon Franke started the rally with a double to deep left-center that almost went out.  Matt Dove then laid down a bunt which was fielded cleanly, but thrown away, allowing Franke to race home and Dove to reach second.  He then stole third and eventually scored on a Brad Walman ground out to short.

St.Paul's got a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.  Second-baseman Colin Majev started the inning with a double to right and advanced to third on a sac-bunt.  With two down, March stroked an opposite field double to left to knock in the run.  Thompson avoided further trouble by getting Colby Roane to fly to left to end the inning.

Thompson struck out five, and walked three. Two of those walks came in top of the first, to the first two Crusader hitters, but the tall right-hander pitched out of it by retiring the heart of the St. Paul's line-up in order to end the threat. Jack Carey flied to left, before Thompson fanned Crabill and Ryan Clayton.

Curley moves to 6-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA, while the Crusaders, fell to 6-2 and 0-1.

"It's a long season," said Crusader veteran Coach Paul Bernsdorf.  "That was a very well pitched game.  Both teams played well.  We left two men on with no outs in the first, and had the basesloaded in the fifth, but couldn't get a clucth hit either time,"

"Well pitched, and well played, by both teams" echoed Curley coach Jack Thomas.  "Our ride to North Carolina would have been much longer had we lost."  (The Friars travel south for a spring break tourney tonight).

Thompson, who hits third in a strong Friar line-up, won for the second time this year.

"I relied on my fast ball today, but I mixed in a few off speed pitches when I had to," said the 6-3 righty. "They are a real good hitting team."    

Archbishop Curley 2, St. Paul's 1
SP   010 000 0   -   1   5   1
AC   002 000 x   -   2   4   1
Thompson and Waltman; March and Roane.
2B:  AC-Franke, Majve; SP-March.