Pallotti came to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference title game with only 12 players. But Wednesday at Ripken Stadium, coach Pat Courtemanche made good use of each one.
That was clear in the third inning when junior courtesy runner C.J. Tretler scored all the way from second base on a sacrifice fly. With an emphatic head-first slide, Tretler scored to a serenade of hoots from the Panthers dugout.
The opportunistic tally came after shortstop Drew Benefiel had scored from third on the same play. The two-run sacrifice fly, hit by third baseman Kevin Hughes, typified Pallotti’s aggressive defense of its crown in a 15-3 victory over Park.
“The pitcher looked like he was upset when the first run scored,” said Tretler. “He wasn’t looking so I took off. I was halfway down the line any way.”
In the next inning, No. 9 hitter C.J. Ruiz, followed in kind as he bunted, slid on his chest into first base, then hustled to second after a bad throw. Again, Ruiz slid head first, and arrived with such force that he needed a few minutes rest to clear his head.
“That’s our style. We decided at one point this year, that we needed to be more aggressive,” said Benefiel, a senior who had a triple and a single. “Today everybody hit, everybody contributed, everybody made a difference.”
The biggest difference maker for Pallotti (23-6), literally and figuratively, was pitcher Travis Stewart. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander closed his career with a six-hitter and 11 strikeouts. It would have been more, if the game had not been called after five innings (10-run rule).
“We came out ready to play and look at that run support,” said Stewart (9-3), who aided his cause with an RBI double. “No one thought we would repeat. We lost seven starters. I couldn’t be happier.”
This was not the joy ride of last season when Pallotti cruised undefeated to the MIAA B title. This spring, three players left the team. But those who remained formed a closer bond.
“This year means more with everything we’ve been through,” said Courtemanche. “We hung together. We took care of each other and that was reflected today – a total team effort.”
Park (16-7) got the best of Stewart in the third inning as catcher Rex Gelb tripled home Ben Hyman and Tony DeMarco, who had reached on singles. The rally put Park on top 3-2, but Pallotti regained the lead on Hughes’ sacrifice fly. Then in the fourth, the Panthers put it away with a 10-run explosion.
Cool Cats
» Pallotti’s victory avenged a 9-8 loss to Park in the regular season.
» The last three hitters in the Pallotti lineup — Billy Ruddy, Brian Meekins and C.J. Ruiz — each scored two runs in the 10-run fourth.
