Sports

X-Men top Iona in Monroe quarters, gaining early CHSAA bragging rights

Xaverian's Charles Misiano is tagged out by Iona Prep's Cody Polchinski.

Xaverian’s Charles Misiano is tagged out by Iona Prep’s Cody Polchinski. (Robert Cole)

If the Monroe Tournament is any indication, Lou Piccola’s hunches are going to take Xaverian a long way.

The second-year coach, who likes to go with his gut, opted to keep Andrew Schillaci in the lineup in the Clippers pool play finale against Grand Street despite the left fielder’s recent struggles at the plate. He also opted to use Frank Kaplan as his closer in Xaverian’s last two games as his work between starts.

The two moves have the defending CHSAA Class AA intersectional champion in the showcase’s semifinals. Schillaci smoked a three-run, opposite-field homer and Kaplan picked up the save, getting Pat Decea to ground out with the tying and go-ahead runs aboard in Wednesday’s 5-4 win over CHSAA foe Iona Prep at Monroe in The Bronx.

“You’re trying to put pieces together,” Piccola said. “You’re playing every day.”

Xaverian, the fourth overall seed, will face No. 8 John Adams, a 6-5 upset winner over No. 1 Norman Thomas, in the semis Thursday at 10 a.m.

While neither side used its ace – that will happen in late May or early June if that situations warrants – the matchup was intriguing nevertheless. Xaverian built leads of 3-0 and 5-2, but Iona crept within a single run twice, making it 5-4 on Billy Martin’s double to right center in the sixth.

That’s when Piccola called upon Kaplan, the hard-throwing righthander who usually starts games rather than finishing them. He needed just one pitch to end the sixth, inducing Sam Garito into a groundout. In the seventh, Kaplan put two on – Matt Brembs walked and Iona-bound Vinny DeMaria reached on an infield single – but fanned Matt Henry on a called third strike and jammed Decea with a two-seam fastball, getting a force out to end it.

“Whatever my team asks of me,” Kaplan said. “You have to come in throwing strikes. Warming up is different. … I’m just happy to be on the mound, show people what I can do and help my team get to the championship.”

Schillaci got Xaverian the lead in the first, lacing a three-run shot the other way off Iona starter Joe Finnegan. The junior, who also homered in Monday’s win over Grand Street, credited the Clippers coaching and seniors with giving him confidence in tough times.

“I got a good pitch over the middle of the plate and I went with it,” he said. “I wasn’t going for a home run. I was just trying to hit line drives. … I just got my timing. I’m thinking less, I feel more confident.”

Whereas Piccola has played down the tournament’s significance – he’s just happy to get in games against quality competition – Xaverian’s players feel it is an early-season barometer. Facing Iona, a club many have pegged as a title favorite, added even more juice to the quarterfinal.

“This was more like a league playoff-type game because that’s when we would see them,” Kaplan said. “It had a little extra for us to want to win to show that we can beat them.”

Xaverian can thank Schillaci and Kaplan, two of their lesser-profile players for getting it done, and for their coach on calling upon them.

zbraziller@nypost.com