End of a great run

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In a perfect world, Neumann-Goretti’s baseball team would still be playing. Making it to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state semifinals is a huge accomplishment, but the Saints wanted to be the last team standing in the Class AAA bracket.

As a result of Monday’s disappointing 9-4 defeat at the hands of Abington Heights, based near Scranton, the squad had to make the long journey back from Fredricksburg minus the extra hardware. There is no Friday road trip to Altoona where the finals are being contested. It marked the end of a very successful championship road that has included Catholic League and City titles. Monday just wasn’t the Saints’ day.

"It was just one of those days," coach Lou Spadaccini said. "I don’t think [Abington Heights] was better than us, they were just better than us [Monday]."

First Team All-Catholic Al Baur took the mound for the Saints. During the regular season, the junior was nearly unhittable, holding each of his first four opponents scoreless. The playoffs were a different story, as he surrendered 14 earned runs over 17 innings. Factor in Neumann-Goretti’s six errors on Monday afternoon, and it equates to a losing outcome.

"Al ran out of gas. He threw a lot of innings," Spadaccini said. "He needed help and we didn’t give it to him."

The team made a much stronger showing Friday, eliminating Elverson’s Twin Valley 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Freshman shortstop Marty Venafro scored the Saints lone run on what the opposing coaches and fans presumed was a inning-ending double play. It could be called lucky, good base running, or bad judgment by the second base umpire, but Spadaccini saw it differently.

"The kid was clearly safe from where I was standing. Bad calls are a part of the game. We would be undefeated if we didn’t have some bad calls go against us this season," he said.

2009 PIAA AAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

For a school making its state tournament debut, the South Philly squad has nothing to be ashamed about. The Saints were one of just two District 12 teams — St. Joe’s Prep in Class AAAA being the other — to advance to the state’s final four. This was the first season Catholic League schools were PIAA eligible. Over the course of a week, Neumann-Goretti traveled from Pine Grove to Royersford to Fredericksburg.

The squad became battle tested with each win as they drove miles away from the city into unchartered and what proved to be hostile territory. Against Twin Valley, Neumann-Goretti was showered with an assortment of boos and insults, but Spadaccini knew it came with being the outsiders.

"The teams we played against had 150 fans to our 25. They were really strong teams," he said. "Our team still took care of business, the kids didn’t mined being booed."

The home team opened states with an 8-4 victory over Blue Mountain.

Prior to facing these unfamiliar foes, Spadaccini said, "The Saints will play anybody, anywhere," and his team stuck to it. Several players contributed to the team effort. On the mound, junior Mark Donato allowed just one earned run over 22 innings, to go along with 30 strikeouts.

"His performance thus far has been superhuman," the coach said of Donato. "He lives for the big game and that’s why I think he’s dominating. He’s one of the best in the area and one of the best I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone dominate the way he is right now."

Offensively, Baur, Donato, Dom Riverso and Joey Armata each hit .364 or better during the playoffs. Of the starters, only Armata and second baseman Billy Fulginiti are graduating. It means a return to states wouldn’t be unexpected,

The season was still a huge success in the eyes of Spadaccini, as his team ended a 49-year championship drought and won the school’s first City title.

"This is just an unbelievable group of kids," the coach said. "They didn’t understand what they accomplished. A few years from now they’ll understand."