Donovan Casey is a shutout machine for Sterling

Donovan Casey knows he has a scoreless-innings streak going for the Sterling baseball team.

He just isn't too worried about it.

"I just try to keep my team in the game," Casey said. "I don't care whether I give up a run or not. As long as we're winning, I'm happy and everybody should be happy."

The junior righthander went nine innings for the first time in his career on Saturday, leading Sterling to a 1-0 win over Manchester Township in the second round of the South Jersey Group 2 tournament.

Casey kept throwing zeros on the scoreboard until Sterling was able to push across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

"I was a little tired at the end," Casey said Sunday. "But I felt OK. I knew my team would come through."

Casey is 7-1 with a 0.12 ERA. He has allowed one earned run in 572/3 innings, with 66 strikeouts and 14 walks. He has not allowed a run in his last 34 innings. He has won five straight games by shutout - 8-0 over Pitman, 11-0 over West Deptford, 10-0 over Haddonfield, 5-0 over Pemberton, and Saturday's extra-inning thriller.

He also has a 7-0 win over West Deptford on April 18, giving him six shutouts on the season.

"We thought he would so well but he's done more than we've expected," Sterling coach Chris Hoffman said. "He's worked hard and it's carried over."

Casey has drawn recruiting interest from college programs such as Maryland, Duke, and Virginia.

After going nine innings Saturday, Casey won't pitch in Tuesday's sectional semifinals against West Deptford. But if the Silver Knights advance, Casey will take the hill for the Group 2 final on Friday.

"That would be exciting," Casey said. "That would be a lot of fun."