High Schools - Neumann-Goretti rallies to win Class AAA first-round baseball playoff

It's one thing to suffer a serious jolt. It's quite satisfying to overcome it.

With two away in the seventh inning of a Class AAA first-round baseball playoff yesterday, Ss. Neumann-Goretti's Al Baur, a junior righthander, served up a game-tying, two-run homer to Kevin Berkheiser.

Not too long thereafter, he was the winning pitcher.

N-G bested Blue Mountain, 8-4, in eight innings at Stump Stadium, in Pine Grove, as Baur finished with 10 strikeouts in a five-hitter.

In the eighth, Dom Riverso drove in two runs with his second double, Marty Venafro got another one home with a fielder's choice and Reno Regalbuto delivered an RBI single.

N-G will meet Twin Valley in a Thursday quarterfinal (details TBA).

In other first-round games:

* Class A: Camp Hill 4, Girard Academic Music Program 0. The Pioneers were limited to a pair of singles (by Tyler Criniti and Eugene Aversa).

* Class AA: Brandywine Heights 17, Esperanza 2 (three innings). Teofilo Bonilla (double) and Carlos Rodriguez managed hits for Esperanza. The runs scored on errors.

* Class AAAA: Council Rock North 6, Central 2: The Public League champs were held to four hits. Their runs scored on Zach Magdovitz' solo homer in the fourth and Ian Lewis' double in the seventh. *

- Ted Silary