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St. John’s Prep’s Chris Francoeur scored a crucial run for the Eagles in a Super 9 loser’s bracket win over St. John’s of Shrewsbury on Monday.
By MIKE ALONGI
Despite falling behind early, the St. John’s Prep baseball team battled back to notch a win, 4-2, over St. John’s of Shrewsbury in a Division 1A “Super 8” tournament loser’s bracket semifinal game on Monday night at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton.
With the win, the Eagles move on to face Xaverian in the loser’s bracket final Wednesday night at 7 p.m. If the Prep can get through that game, it will take on winner’s bracket champion Braintree in the Super 8 championship.
The Pioneers got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning when Derek Lefebvre knocked an RBI single to make it 1-0.
The Eagles tried to answer back in the top of the third when they loaded up the bases with two out, but SJS starter Jared Wetherbee (two runs, four hits, 11 strikeouts) struck out Frank DiOrio to get out of the jam unscathed.
St. John’s of Shrewsbury added another run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Sean Burke to take a 2-0 lead.
The Prep finally got on the board in the top of the fourth. After Andrew Selima got hit by a pitch to start the inning, Mike LaRovere knocked an RBI double to cut the deficit in half.
The Eagle continued that momentum into the top of the fifth. Jacob Yish led off the inning with a single and then stole second base. Selima then came up and smashed an RBI double to tie the score and chase Wetherbee from the game.
In the top of the sixth, the Eagles got runners to first and second with no outs for Yish, who hit an RBI single to give the Prep the lead. He purposely got caught in a rundown between first and second to allow the runner from first to come all the way around to score and give the Eagles the 4-2 lead.
St. John’s was able to hold the lead for the final three innings, getting solid pitching from Colin Nye and Nolan Webb to close out the game.
