Matt Brembs had no margin for error entering the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and no outs. The Iona Prep left-hander had no fear either.
“You try not to think about it,” Brembs said. “When you’re scared, you’re not ready.”
St. Raymond’s Dave Sanchez tied the game with a sacrifice fly, but Brembs got out of the jam and retired all nine batters he faced with three strikeouts. Sixth-seeded Iona Prep broke the tie on a Mike Briganti ground out in the ninth and held on for a thrilling, 3-2 extra-inning win over No. 2 St. Raymond in the CHSAA Class AA baseball playoffs winner’s bracket last night at Fordham University.
Iona meets No. 4 Fordham Prep on Sunday at St. John’s for the right to play for the intersectional title next weekend. Brembs was pitching in his third game in four days, but longtime coach Fred Gallo had no qualms about inserting him.
“When you have a championship-level team, guys elevate themselves,” Gallo said. “Ordinary guys step up and do big things.”
Iona (16-6) scratched out a run in the ninth when Sam Garito led off with a walk and came in on Briganti’s ground out against a drawn-in infield. The Gaels led 2-0 on RBI singles by Garito and Jack McDermott in the sixth, but St. Ray’s (14-6) got two in the seventh on an RBI single by Adam De La Cruz and Sanchez’s sac fly.
Brian Paulino gave up just one earned run in 8-2/3 innings for the Ravens, who play either St. Joseph by the Sea or All Hallows tonight in an elimination game.
“To come back in the seventh, I felt we had all the momentum going,” St. Ray’s coach Marc DeLuca said. “We didn’t capitalize.”
Brembs was a huge part of that. After Sanchez’s ringing sac fly to left – Matt Henry was in the perfect spot – the 5-foot-7 left-hander struck out Julian Monserrate and got Jeffrey Ramos to fly out to right.
“The game is on the line,” Gallo said. “The kid gets a base hit, the game is over – three times.”
The only hitter Brembs allowed to reach was Leo Bravo in the ninth with one out. But De La Cruz followed with a fly out to right and Jack McDermott caught pinch runner Leo Bravo off first for the final out of the game.
“We’re coming at the right time,” Brembs said. “That’s all you can ask.”
Since a tiebreaker loss to Fordham Prep last Friday, Iona Prep has won three straight playoff games and gotten the pitching it expected to have all year. Starter Vinny Martin went the first four innings, giving up two hits. Matt Mottola was great in the fifth and sixth before getting into trouble in the seventh.
Brembs was there to bail him out and the Gaels did just enough to steal a run in the ninth. Everything seems to be going right now for the New Rochelle squad and it gets another shot at rival Fordham Prep on Sunday with a spot in the finals on the line.
“We feel like we can play with anyone right now,” Garito said.