Something is clicking for Archbishop Carroll baseball.
Whether it be a pitching staff that has worked three consecutive shutouts in Philadelphia Catholic League play, or an offense that mercy-ruled Roman Catholic in a 13-1 victory Wednesday afternoon at South Philadelphia’s FDR Park, the Patriots have kicked things into a new gear.
“We always knew we were going to be a gritty team,” said senior shortstop Jaylyn Tidwell, who went 2-3 with a double in the win. “We were never going to be that team with a whole bunch of talent that would blow out teams, but we know we’ll go out there and grit and grind. You saw that in the first inning today.”
Grit and grind is certainly one way to describe Carroll’s first inning. Aside from a pair of doubles from Tidwell and senior Dylan Burns, the Patriots brought their nine runs across the dish on a combination of singles and walks as the lineup flipped over all the way back to the five hole.
Following the 30-minute-long half inning, the Pats sent senior ace Matt McGaughey to the mound to protect a lead that was greater than the sum of the Patriots’ offensive output in their last five games combined.
McGaughey took to the bump and opened the afternoon dealing. The senior, who announced his commitment to Ursinus College to further his career on the gridiron just today, laid down the Roman lineup 1-9 in his first three innings of work.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, after junior starter Luis Selles was lifted from the ballgame, they struggled to much else going over the next few innings.
Senior Dylan Carter set down the Patriots through the next few innings while McGaughey continued his dominance on the bump for Carroll.
“It feels really good,” said McGaughey, who recorded his second consecutive complete game (first: April 2 vs. Lansdale Catholic). “Last time out I had a hard time controlling my curveball, but today I was feeling confident in my off-speed, so everything felt pretty good.”
McGaughey went pretty much unscathed until the bottom of the forth when Selles scored on a wild pitch for Roman to make it 9-1.
Though it took another inning for Carroll to get anything else going on offense, when the team did, it came in an interesting way. Four runs came across the plate in the top of the sixth off of walks and wild pitches.
“This really all goes back to the work these guys are putting in during practice,” said manager Pat Dunn. “Mark (Fohner) and Matt pound the zone in practice every day and the work we’ve been putting in lately has really translated for us.”
In the bottom of the sixth McGaughey took to the mound one last time to set down the Cahillites in order and mercy rule Roman Catholic in six innings.
The victory comes as Carroll’s first mercy rule win since a 13-0 victory on opening day against Germantown Friends, which also happens to be the last time the Patriots were over the .500 marker.
The Pats will try and hold onto this surge on Saturday afternoon when they take on Northeast High School back in Radnor for a 12:00 PM first pitch.
