Sports

CHSAA baseball notebook: Sea advances, All Hallows-SFP postponed

Chris Falcone was a game-time decision. The St. Joseph by the Sea left-hander has had a balky back. As a precaution, coach Gordon Rugg had two pitchers in the bullpen warming up.

“If he said he couldn’t go,” Rugg said, “I wasn’t gonna pitch him.”

Falcone didn’t let that happen. Gutting through some pain with his team facing elimination, the Felician-bound senior pitched one of the best games of his career, giving up no earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Monsignor Farrell in Game 3 of a CHSAA Class AA baseball third-round, best-of-three series Tuesday in Huguenot.

“I was impressed by his heart,” Rugg said. “He battled through it.”

Mike Leone was 4-for-4 and Matt Bowers, Lou Mandia and Joe Santigate all had RBIs for No. 5 Sea (14-4), which meets No. 4 Fordham Prep in the double-elimination championship round opener 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fordham University.

“Now I just gotta get my pitching in order,” Rugg said. “It’ll rain tomorrow with any luck. Pray for rain and pitch [ace Brian] Russell.”

Mike Viegas had a pair of hits and scored the lone run for Farrell (9-10) and Kevin Garzone gave up just two earned runs in 4-2/3 innings. Jason Failla went 1-1/3 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits.

“They’re tough, that’s a very good team,” Rugg said.

Sea will come back Wednesday with sophomore Angelo Navetta, star of last year’s JV championship team and the South Shore National Little League World Series squad, on the mound. He hasn’t pitched much all year, but the southpaw is capable.

“He might be a secret weapon,” Rugg said. “He’s got some nasty stuff if he’s on. I gotta play it by ear, throw the whole sink at them. That’s all I can do.”

SFP, All Hallows postponed: Game 3 of the CHSAA third-round, best-of-three series between No. 8 All Hallows and No. 9 St. Francis Prep was halted due to lightning with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning at Fordham University. The game, which All Hallows led 1-0 at the time, will resume 4 p.m. Wednesday at Archbishop Molloy. The winner will then travel to St. John’s University to meet Xaverian in the championship round at 6:30 p.m.

After a 40-minute delay, the teams began warming up with a planned attempt to resume play until it started to rain.

All Hallows got its one run on a bases-loaded walk by Lance Montano. The Gaels could have gotten more if St. Francis Prep starter Nick LoPrinzi didn’t get out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam. All Hallows starter Joe Morel had given up just two hits over four innings.

mraimondi@nypost.com