No. 1 St. Rita rebounds to stay unbeaten

April 29, 2014

By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

CHICAGO – No. 1 St. Rita looked like it might’ve been headed to its first loss of the season early on against visiting Loyola. In the end, though, the Mustangs erased an early three-run deficit to win 6-3 in a Chicago Catholic Blue matchup Monday.

Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, St. Rita (23-0, 8-0) scored four unearned runs thanks to three consecutive Loyola (9-10, 5-3) errors. Senior first baseman Nick Goldsmith delivered a two-run single in the inning to put the Mustangs ahead for good. Starting pitcher Tyler Halas (5-0) also had a RBI groundout in the inning.

All six of the Mustangs’ runs, in fact, were unearned. Loyola unofficially committed seven errors, depending on the benevolence of the scorekeeper.

In the fourth inning, senior second baseman Chris Delgadillo singled, and proceeded to steal second and third bases, and scored on the catcher’s errant throw to third base. In the fifth, St. Rita catcher Nate Soria reached on a two-out error, and scored on junior shortstop Marty Bechina’s double over the third-base bag to make it 6-3.

The runs were more than enough for Halas and closer Jake Shepski. Halas, a junior right-hander who’s committed to Tennessee, settled down after Loyola touched him for two runs in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Tommy Bordignon and Jacob Frank. In five innings, Halas yielded four hits, three runs, two earned, struck out one and walked two. Shepski, a senior Notre Dame recruit, pitched two scoreless innings of relief to nail down the save. Loyola loaded the bases in the seventh with two outs, but Shepski got a pop foul to Goldsmith at first base to end the game.

Delgadillo went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two stolen bases for St. Rita, and junior third baseman Shane Peisker reached base all four at-bats – twice on errors, a walk and hit by pitch.

Loyola junior left-hander Jack Yalowitz pitched admirably, throwing a four-hit complete game. Yalowitz struck out four, walked two and hit two batters. Offensively, Frank led the Ramblers, delivering a pair of run-scoring doubles in the first and third innings.

No. 1 St. Rita rebounds to stay unbeaten

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