Indy Star

 

By Nat Newell

 

The Cathedral High School baseball team didn't claim the City Tournament championship until 11:35 p.m. Friday, but it was worth the wait.

"It always is," coach Rich Andriole said as his team finally finished off Scecina 10-2 after the game started 75 minutes late due to rain. "Thank God we didn't get rained out."

The question is: How long will the rest of the City have to wait before one of them wins this event again?

The Irish picked up their sixth consecutive City Tournament title. They have won those championships by a combined score of 57-10, not allowing more than two runs in any of them.

"We don't think (we won the event)," Andriole said. "That would be presumptuous. It was 4-2 after three innings tonight. The City is a focus for us. When we practice, we ask ourselves, 'Are we executing well enough to win the City, the sectional, the regional?' We lump all those together and approach them the same whether we're playing (sectional rivals) Lawrence North, Lawrence Central or Scecina."

Scecina kept the game close through three innings behind shortstop Tyler Douthitt. He singled to lead off the game, stole second, took third on a bunt single by Pat Gedig and scored on a double-play grounder. Cathedral scored three times in the bottom half of the inning, but Douthitt hit a one-out triple to center in the third and scored on an infield single by Gedig.

Cathedral, however, scored a run in the third as Phil Mosey launched a one-out, 400-foot triple to center field and scored on a Kevin Foley single. It added three more in the fourth on two singles, two walks, a hit batter, a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly, then put the game out of reach in the fifth as Dan Leicht led off with a single, Scott Miller doubled him home and Kevin Bower brought in Miller with another double to make it 9-2.

Cathedral pitcher Dillon Peters settled in against the scrappy Crusaders and didn't allow a hit after Gedig's third-inning single, striking out nine in six innings. Cathedral leadoff hitter Scott Miller had four hits, including two doubles. Peters and Phil Mosey added two hits apiece.