DIVISION III DISTRICT BASEBALL Mooney slips past Ursuline, 3-2
Joe Irwin struck out 10 as the Cardinals advanced to today's district final.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- Cardinal Mooney High won't have much time to enjoy its 3-2 win over Ursuline on Monday, because the Cardinals will be in action again tonight.
Joe Irwin's 10-strikeout performance and a decent defensive effort at Cene Park enabled Mooney to eliminate last year's Division III state semifinalist.
As a result, Mooney (15-11) will play Brookfield in the district championship game at Cene Park. That game will follow a Div. IV semifinal on Field 1.
It's the farthest the Cardinals have gone since winning the district crown in 1997.
"It could have gone either way," Mooney coach Steve Leslie said of the game's outcome that wasn't certain until a strikeout to end the game.
Entering the final inning, Ursuline trailed, 3-1. Then David Patrick scored on Ed Rohan's fielder's choice.
The loss left Ursuline (14-14) in an unfamiliar position in mid-May.
10 stranded runners
"There were several things that hurt," Ursuline coach Sean Durkin said. "We didn't come up with the big hit when needed," he said of 10 stranded runners. "There were strikeouts, weak ground balls and a couple situations when a big hit could have swung the momentum."
Mooney third baseman Kevin Drummond had the defensive play of the game in the fifth inning when he snagged Rohan's line drive, then threw to first baseman Dan Young to catch the runner off base for a double play.
"The kid just happened to hit it right at us," Leslie said.
Second baseman John Grist was another fielder putting the clamps on the Irish. It was his pickup of Rohan's grounder that he threw to shortstop Jeff Hehr for the seventh inning's second out.
Deserved it
Leslie said he thought Irwin, a junior, deserved to go the seven-inning distance.
"He hit his spots. We were confident with his velocity and the way he was doing things. We thought he was getting tired, but he battled out of it. He deserved to finish."
Irwin (5-3) said he focused on throwing strikes.
"I was just trying to throw strikes and let the defense work behind me," said the left-hander, who has 32 strikeouts in his last three appearances.
Mooney took a 2-0 lead in the first inning before Ursuline scored in the third. The Cards added their final run in the sixth. Both teams had eight hits, but Ursuline had two errors.
Mooney's RBIs
Irwin, Grist and Jim Berry had RBIs for the Cards, who beat their Steel Valley Conference rival three straight times this season after the Irish won the first encounter. Grist and Berry had two hits apiece.
For Ursuline, senior Brad Borghetti had three singles while Dom Cutrone, a junior, and Patrick, a sophomore, each had a double and single.
Ursuline senior Pat Smith (5-3) had six strikeouts and made a couple of sterling defensive plays. In the fourth, Smith slid on his knees and bare-handed Dan Babyak's bunt before throwing to Cutrone for the out. In the fifth, Smith rushed to first for a putout after Cutrone fielded Irwin's grounder off the line.
bassetti@vindy.com