By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Luca Ciaramitaro didn’t waste any time.
The junior first baseman turned on the first pitch he saw for a single into left field. Zach Allen and Ed Hall came around on the play to score the tying and winning runs as the McQuaid Jesuit Knights defeated Rush-Henrietta, 9-8 in eight innings on Wednesday.
“There wasn’t much going through my mind,” he said of the at-bat. “Just see ball, hit ball and hopefully it works out.”
Luca Ciaramitaro plates 2 for the walk-off. @McQuaidBaseball 9 @RushAthletics 8 pic.twitter.com/8TdaMTTafd
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 13, 2022
The 6-foot-3 Ciaramitaro credited assistant coach Ray Soja with giving him an attacking mindset as he prepared to step into the batter’s box.
“Coach Soja told me to look for a first-pitch fastball,” he said of the conversation between the two that took place during a pitching change. “He said ‘with bases loaded, he’s going to try to get ahead in the count.’ I just went up there ready to swing.”
Aidan Stewart and Allen led the inning with back-to-back singles. Hall and CJ Phelps worked consecutive walks to set up Ciaramitaro for the game winner.
Zach Allen singles to center. McQuaid has the first two aboard in the eighth. pic.twitter.com/UD3YPHLAtW
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 13, 2022
“It feels good,” he said of the win.”We should have gotten it done a couple innings earlier, but a win’s a win.”
The play brought to an end a game that saw McQuaid score two runs in the first and four more in the second inning. After a weather delay, though, R-H rallied and took its first lead in the top of the eighth.
“Give Rush a lot of credit,” McQuaid head coach Tony Fuller said. “They came out of that rain delay and played hard. “Razz” (Rush-Henrietta head coach Bill Rasmussen) always has them playing hard. They just came back and kept playing. A lot of teams would fold down six going into a rain delay.”
The Royal Comets sent 10 to the plate in a six-run fifth inning. Starting pitcher, Dillon Kelly, highlighted the frame with a double that scored Justin Angora and Tobey Wright. Seamus Devlin followed with a sacrifice fly that brought home Evan Brock to knot the contest at six.
The score stayed that way until Cam Richards connected on a two-run home run in the top of the eighth.
Cam Richards goes yard to give @RushAthletics its first lead of the game. One out top 8: RH 8 @McQuaidBaseball 6 pic.twitter.com/OVhy6tbP67
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 13, 2022
“That’s a big-time two-run home run,” Fuller stated. “Obviously, we were fortunate to have some good at-bats and fortunate to come away with a win. At least we kept punching until the last inning.”
Will Taylor started and struck out seven over four shutout innings for McQuaid. The left-hander allowed two hits. Taylor’s three-run home run gave McQuaid a 6-0 lead. The Wofford College commit also walked, stole a base and scored twice. Stewart went 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored. CJ Phelps was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Tanner DeGrazia, Daniel McAliney and Jimmy Crossed scored a run apiece.
Kelly went 3-for-4 with a run scored to pace the R-H (1-4) attack. Richards was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Joe Grzeskowiak, Tobey Wright and Connor Nguyen each had a hit a scored a run for the Royal Comets. Brock added an RBI.
Dillon Kelly beats the throw to start the top of the eighth. pic.twitter.com/1qpOtoZc7I
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 13, 2022
The win was the first of the season for McQuaid which opened the season with three games in the National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina.
“It was state championship level baseball every game down there,” Ciaramitaro said. “One play determined the score of every game. It was good to bring the intensity back. We learned from our opponents. Everything they did on the field we studied and trying to bring it back to Upstate New York.”
The Jesuit Knights lost the three games by a combined total of four runs. Two of the tilts went to extra innings.
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