The Patriots did not expect to be here.
Coming into the 2024 campaign with a spry young group of batters and some lively names in the pitching rotation, Carroll was looking to be a sleeper team in the PCL.
Now, following a 7-2 loss to reigning Catholic League champions Father Judge the Patriots are 1-7 in the PCL and still looking for answers.
¨It seems we´ve just run into everybody´s number one,” said head coach Jonathan Grosse. ¨We saw a team today that´s solid on offense and we keep running into these guys, number ones in game after game. Last week we faced three number ones and this week now we´ve hit two already and it’s just been a tough go at it. Honestly, we´ve been pitching these games very well. I know we let up seven today but for the last four games prior to today we let up like seven total runs so it’s like – we´re pitching it and playing good defense but we just need the timely hit, which we haven´t been able to get.¨
The hits did indeed come few and far between for Carroll Wednesday evening as juniors Drew Mulligan and Jaylen Tidwell got theirs in the 4th, though it wouldn´t be 7th when the Patriots would see another hit. That hit came on a Stephen Thomson double in the bottom half of the 7th inning, the knock put runners in scoring position that would eventually cross thanks to a couple of errors by Judge on the defensive side.
¨We just had to sit fastball all day,¨ said senior Marco Petroccia. ¨Especially towards the bottom of the order, he was just chucking us fastballs and not much off-speed. We just had to be confident out there and not have the mindset of not striking out, but the mindset of getting a hit – ’cause that was the only way we´d get anything going.¨
Judge, on the other hand, didn´t have much trouble getting things going on offense. After an RBI double brought a run across in the second inning, the flood gates opened up. Four runs came across in the top of the fourth inning off senior Gavin Wray, all but drowning the Patriots in a hole that seemed insurmountable.
The Pats let up another two runs in the 6th as back-to-back leadoff walks from Wray made for an easy bases clearing double when senior Anthony Autieri took the mound.
¨Anyone can beat anyone,¨ said Wray. ¨We know we can beat a lot of these teams, so heading into next week we´re going to take this momentum and hopefully get some better hitting going and maybe the pitching and defense get going, but we know we can beat anyone so we just have to have that faith in ourselves, keep that confidence and don’t stop believing.¨
With the loss, the Patriots fall to 1-7 in the Catholic League and 3-11 overall on the season. They will prepare for a Saturday matinee against Pope John Paul at 10:00 am as they look to get back on track before the quickly approaching playoffs.
