RI Division I Baseball Final Four Preview
Thursday, June 13, 2013
The Rhode Island Division I baseball Final Four will get underway at McCarthy Field in West Warwick on Thursday night at 6:30pm, as Hendricken and Johnston will begin their best-of-three series. North Kingstown and East Greenwich will square off in the other semifinal match up, which is set to get underway on Friday at 6:30pm at McCarthy.
Hendricken vs. Johnston
Hendricken is the top overall seed and is undefeated on the season, going 18-0 in league play. The Hawks are cruising into the Final Four, registering three decisive wins, two over Moses Brown and one over Portsmouth in its bracket. Hendricken has possibly the most dominant player in the state in Boston College bound Mike King, who's been the Hawks ace all season and is well rested after pitching his team past Portsmouth in the first round. Center fielder Rob Henry is another player to watch in this series, as the senior is committed to play at Brown University next year.
Johnston is the surprise of the tournament this year, making it to the Division I Final Four as a seven seed after winning the Division II state title a season ago. In the absence of their ace pitcher James Picchi, whose season ended early due to an injury, Johnston's pitching staff has held its own and then some. Junior left-handed pitcher Joe Bongiovanni and senior right-hander Steve Perfetto have led the charge on the mound for the Panthers, as Bongiovanni picked up each of the first two Johnston playoff wins, while Perfetto threw 5.2 innings in Johnston's winners bracket final victory over South Kingstown, picking up the win and sending the Panthers to the Final Four.
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North Kingstown is the one seed in the South Division and made it to the Final Four with three straight wins over Woonsocket, Barrington, and Lincoln in its bracket. Dominic Grillo threw a complete game shutout this past weekend, his fifth of the season, leading the Skippers to a 1-0 win over Lincoln. Grillo has been dominant this season, compiling an 8-1 record and a 0.50 earned run average, allowing just four earned runs in 56 innings pitched.
Third-seeded East Greenwich made it to the Final with three straight wins in its bracket, two over La Salle and one over St. Raphael. Nolan Cooney delivered a walk off eighth inning hit in a 1-0 win over La Salle to send the Avengers to the Final Four. East Greenwich is led by senior right-handed pitcher and 2012 Rhode Island Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, Dave Hopkins. Hopkins threw seven shutout innings in the 1-0 win over La Salle this past weekend, allowing just three hits.
