The message from All Hallows head coach Ed Gutierrez to pitcher Jason Reyes was loud and clear.
“I told Jason, ‘We need to give you the ball and you need to put us on your back and go right at Xavier and give us a win,’” Gutierrez told his ace.
Reyes did just that on Friday, throwing a complete-game shutout while only giving up three hits, as the Gaels picked up a 3-0 victory against Xavier in CHSAA Bronx/Manhattan ‘AA’ baseball at MCU Park on Coney Island.
Reyes, despite getting into trouble in the fifth and sixth, didn’t give up a single run while striking out five and walking two. The two free passes came with one out in the fifth inning when Reyes walked Anthony Auletta and Robert Morrissey back-to-back before getting Brendan Ramusevic to hit into a fielder’s choice and Cody Mangano to fly out to end the inning.
Reyes got into trouble again the next inning when Xavier had runners on the corners with one out before opposing pitcher Jon Paul Ramirez hit a comebacker to Reyes who fired home to gun down Tito Ovalle. Reyes then struck out Nick Aguilera to once again elude danger.
“Today I knew I had to get the win for our team to bring up our confidence,” Reyes said. “I usually do better under pressure and I like when our team’s doing good, it makes me work harder.”
The win didn’t come easy for All Hallows (3-3), which has struggled so far this year, as Ramirez carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The Gaels were sparked when Phoenix Deschamps, who usually bats leadoff but was placed in the seven-hole, decided to lay down a bunt with one out and beat out the throw for the Gaels first hit. Deschamps stole second and advanced to third on a wild pick-off throw by Ramirez. Deschamps then scored the Gaels first run on a safety squeeze by Mark Candelario.
“What’s ironic is that I’ve been trying to get him to do that from the leadoff spot all year,” Gutierrez said. “He didn’t do what I asked then all of a sudden I put him in the seven-hole and he’s doing leadoff.”
Added Deschamps: “As a leadoff man you’re supposed to get on base by any way possible and I really wasn’t doing that, but every day is a new day and you just gotta turn it around. I saw the third baseman playing me real deep so I just laid it down.”
Two batters later, Justin Soto hit a two-RBI single that scored Candelario and Stephen Alemais, who returned to the team after being suspended for violating team rules.
The bunt was a turning point for All Hallows which couldn’t solve Ramirez up to that point. Ramirez finished with 11 strikeouts over seven innings while giving up three earned runs on five hits. Ramirez’s performance was good enough to earn himself a No. 2 spot in the rotation for the Knights (3-3). St. John’s-bound Nick DiLeo is experiencing a dead-arm but played first base and went 1-for-3 on Friday.
“We found our number two at least,” head coach Rich Duffell said. “He did a fantastic job and he never panicked.”
Xavier will visit St. Peter’s on Monday while All Hallows will take on Regis Wednesday. The Gaels hope to continue to play a complete game.
“There are days you can hit and days you’re not gonna hit,” Gutierrez said. “But if you can play defense all the time and get good pitching and timely hitting, you’ll always be in the ball game.”