Xaverian second baseman (20) Julian Lanfranco scores the winning run. (Lauren Marsh)
Sal Taormina admitted to being nervous before the start of the inning. He had already struck out three times and he knew he’d have a shot to either tie the game or give Xaverian the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
Sure enough, the senior came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out with his team down a run. Xaverian coach Lou Piccola approached him before the at bat and Taormina shook him off.
“He said, ‘Get away from me – leave me alone,’” Piccola said with a laugh.
Taormina didn’t need to be told what he had to do.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound first baseman stroked a two-run, walk-off single up the middle to give Xaverian a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Fordham Prep in a CHSAA Class AA seeding tournament game yesterday morning in Bay Ridge. The Clippers meet St. Raymond 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Richmond County Youth League on Staten Island to determine the top seed in the upcoming Catholic playoffs.
“It speaks to the character of the overall team,” Taormina said of the comeback win.
The batter before him in the seventh, Julian Lanfranco, had to exorcise his own demons. The second baseman airmailed a throw to third base on an Andrew Velazquez triple and the Virginia Tech-bound Fordham star scored for the game’s first run in the sixth inning. Zach Leone drove in Ryan Mahoney in that same frame with a sacrifice fly to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.
“I knew I had to help out my team,” Lanfranco said.
The senior did, drilling an RBI double into the left field gap that Andrew Schillaci, who led off the inning with a walk against reliever Andrew Pucillo. With one out, Boston College-bound shortstop Gabe Hernandez singled and George Washington-bound third baseman Eric Kalman was intentionally walked after Lanfranco’s double to set up Taormina’s big hit.
“Baseball is a game of coming up with second chances, third chances, fourth chances,” Piccola said. “Today, it worked out.”
Blaise Scerbo, who is heading to Seton Hall, started and gave up no runs on just one hit in four innings for Xaverian (17-1). Brian Rosa gave up both runs in three innings, but picked up the win. Scerbo was taken out by Piccola with the hope he could come back Wednesday for the opening game of the CHSAA Class AA championship round.
Furman-bound right-hander Steve Fondu was excellent for Fordham (13-6), giving up no runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in six innings before giving way to Pucillo. The Rams meet Moore Catholic at noon Sunday on Staten Island in a battle for the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
“They’re one of the best teams in the city,” Velazquez said of Xaverian. “We wanted to see how we match up and we almost beat them. I think we’re right up there.”
It’s hard to argue with what Fondu did after Sean McNamara tossed a two-hitter in a Bronx/Westchester first-place tiebreaker Friday against Iona Prep. Taormina was sure happy to see him come out of the game.
“He had my number,” Taormina said with a laugh. “Thank God they changed him.”
Perhaps that gave him some confidence as he strode to the plate, enough of it to wave off Piccola.
“You know what, Coach?” Taormina said he told him. “I got this. There’s nothing you can say.”