CHSAA playoffs: Lisanti leads Fordham into rematch with Stepinac

June

What a postseason it has been for Sal Lisanti, the Fordham Prep ace who pitched another brilliant game in last night’s 1-0 win over Monsignor Farrell.

The Rams will now face Stepinac at 1 today at St. John’s. The teams will meet for the championship at 4 if Fordham can hand Stepinac its first loss in the tournament. If not, the Crusaders will win their first title in 47 years.

Here’s our recap of Fordham’s win:

Sal Lisanti pitched a two-hitter and Jesus Jaile drove in the game’s only run as Fordham Prep edged Monsignor Farrell 1-0 in the losers bracket final of the CHSAA City Tournament yesterday at St. John’s University.

The fifth-seeded Rams will face No. 2 seed Stepinac for the city championship today, beginning at 1 p.m., at St. John’s.

Stepinac, coming out of the winners bracket, needs one win to clinch the title of the double-elimination tournament. Fordham Prep needs to win at 1 p.m. to force a winner-take-all game, which would be at 4.

The Rams’ win over Farrell was their third straight in the tournament, since a 5-3 early-round loss to Stepinac. Fordham Prep and Stepinac split their regular-season series, each winning at home in extra innings.

The win over fourth-seeded Farrell was yet another hard-earned victory in this tournament for the Rams, who have stayed alive by beating the Lions, St. Peter’s, and defending champion Xavierian.

Fordham Prep (15-8) rallied with two outs in the third inning yesterday. Jack Giannini walked, stole second and scored on Jaile’s single to left.

That was one of four hits on the day for the Rams, along with singles by T.J. Mangan, Ken O’Brien and Dan Turner.

Lisanti, meanwhile, yielded just two infield singles – one in the first inning, the other in the fifth. The Bryant-bound senior right-hander struck out seven, walked none, and allowed only three balls to the outfield while pitching a complete game in a brisk 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Lisanti’s infielders – Sal Annunziata (first base), Mike Maschi (second), Giannini (short) and George Perrotta (third) – provided plenty of support

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 2:51 am by Josh Thomson. Print | Email

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