Sacred Heart Downs Cathedral: Quarterfinals Next

It wasn’t perfect, but it was close. 
 
The Irish of Sacred Heart defeated Cathedral Prep in a playoff qualifier on Wednesday, 5-0.  Senior PJ Connaire, fully rebounded from mid-season arm trouble, was masterful, allowing only three base runners (one hit and two walks), while striking out seven in a complete-game shutout.  Connaire did not allow a single Cathedral runner to reach second base, at one point setting down 12 Cathedral batters in a row.
 
Cathedral and Sacred Heart had previously played three times this season, with Cathedral taking two of three in a series of close games.  In both their losses, Sacred Heart had stranded several men in scoring position: today, however, was different.
 
 A leadoff single from Junior Ryan Connaire began the Irish’s rally in the third inning.  Junior Ben Leonard bunted Connaire to second.  Andres Benitez singled and stole second, and after an out and a hit batsman, Junior Greg Hernandez stepped to the plate.  And, as has been the case so many times this season, Hernandez (now hitting over .422) singled to right field, driving in two.  Next up was Senior Adrian Gallagher who continued his hot hitting, adding a single up the middle to make it 3-0, Sacred Heart. 
 
From there, PJ Connaire went to work, relaying on an infield that handled twelve chances without a single mistake.  The Irish added another run in the sixth, when PJ Connaire, helping his own cause, singled in Hernandez to extend the lead to four.  The Irish stole a fifth run in the seventh inning: Andres Benitez reached on a two-out error, stole second and third and then raced home just under the tag on a wild pitch. 
 
The afternoon, however, belonged to the Senior Connaire, who worked around a one-out walk in the seventh to seal the win with a groundout and his seventh strike out of the afternoon.
 
Sacred Heart now plays Nazareth (14-0) in the quarterfinal round of the Class “A” double elimination tournament.  First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Friday, May 27 at American Legion Field, Brooklyn, NY.