Savage, Caseys Roll Past Union Catholic 10-0 in Sectional Quarterfinals

RED BANK – The postseason is when teams must excel in every facet of the game. Pitching, defense, hitting, and baserunning all become magnified as teams fight to survive and advance. Red Bank Catholic checked every box in the quarterfinal round of the South Jersey Non-Public A Tournament, cruising past Union Catholic with a 10-0 victory in six innings.

After breaking through with three runs in the bottom of the second inning, the Caseys extended their lead to 5-0 through four innings before erupting for five more runs in the sixth to put the mercy rule into effect and end Union Catholic’s season.

Junior Grace Lombardi sparked the offense in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, she launched a drive to straightaway center field that scored Grace Grimaldi and Vivian Rudolph. Grimaldi ignited the rally with a fly ball to right field that dropped in for a single before advancing to second base. Rudolph followed with a line-drive single to center, setting the stage for Lombardi’s big hit.

“My first at bat was not what I wanted,” Lombardi said. “The next at bat I went up looking for my pitch, found it and drove it. I feel when I’m leading off, they [pitchers] try to get ahead so I always swing at it and see what I could do with it.”

After Rudolph put the Caseys ahead 4-0 in the third inning on a fielder’s choice to shortstop, Lombardi extended the lead to 5-0 when she scored on a wild pitch after lacing a double into the left-field gap.

RBC put the game away with a five-run sixth inning, taking advantage of two errors and a walk to secure the 10-0 mercy-rule victory. Rudolph started the rally by reaching on a dropped fly ball by the second baseman, and senior Torri Case followed with a walk.

Following a pop out by Lombardi, Jayden Kane loaded the bases with a single. A misplayed infield fly by the second baseman allowed Rudolph to score, and another error at second base pushed the lead to 7-0. Brooke Rodriguez then delivered a two-run double to make it 9-0.

Junior Grace Grimaldi ended the game in emphatic fashion, crushing a ball off the left-field fence to drive in Rodriguez. Off the bat, it appeared the ball had a chance to leave the yard, prompting an early celebration from the RBC dugout.

“Our goal is 30 at bats in a game,” RBC head coach Tony Flego said. “If we can get 30 at bats as a team then that gives us a chance to score and win the game. In order to do that you need to grind out at bats, and you need to walk and get on base anyway you can. We have been working very hard in practice, and it has been paying off.”

In the circle, sophomore Mackenna Savage turned in another dominant outing. She allowed just three hits and struck out nine batters, raising her season strikeout total to 283 and her career total to 330. The shutout also lowered her ERA to 1.22.

“She [Savage] has been tremendous,” Flego said. “Last year she took the ball a couple of times, but they were in big games too. Her work ethic is tremendous. She wants to be a great pitcher and with that said she works hard at it. She gets the ball and she throws it which keeps the fielders engaged in the game. She works diligently at her craft, and it is evident with the number of strikeouts she has.”

The Caseys were equally impressive defensively, turning in a flawless performance in the field. RBC did not commit an error and recorded nine infield putouts, eight of which came on ground balls, a testament to the team’s defensive consistency and preparation throughout the season.

“I trust myself, but I don’t have to put the pressure on myself when I can rely on the people behind me,” Savage said. “We work as a team and as long as we work as a team, we will be fine.”

RBC will advance to face the winner of the St. John Vianney-Immaculata matchup, which is scheduled to be played Friday at 3 p.m. St. John Vianney enters the postseason as the No. 1 team in New Jersey and the No. 2 seed in the South Jersey Non-Public A bracket. The Caseys dropped both meetings against the Lancers during the regular season by a combined score of 16-0.

“It is all about the pitching and we have faced great pitching this year day in and day out,” Flego said. “It starts in our own division, and it is paying off now and the kids are not going up to the plate saying they have no chance because they have faced it. But listen, Madison McDougall is different. She is on a different planet, but we did face her twice.”