Wood tops Carroll in Catholic League baseball

"That stinkin' curveball."

The comment came from a frustrated Archbishop Carroll supporter after Archbishop Wood's Scott Boches had recorded one of his seven strikeouts late in Tuesday's Catholic League Blue Division baseball game.

The senior righthander mostly kept the host Patriots guessing with his tricky curveball, and with the aid of three home runs in a small ballpark, the Vikings triumphed, 7-3, in Radnor.

"It's really been my 'out' pitch this season," Boches said. "I like to get it over early in the count and also put hitters away with it. It's working well right now."

While posting a five-hitter, the 6-foot-5, 180-pounder also used a fastball, which has been clocked in the 87- to 88-m.p.h. range, and a change-up. Only one of Carroll's runs was earned.

"Scott gave us a tremendous effort out there," Wood coach Jim DiGuiseppe Jr. said. "He worked the zone, hit the corners, and changed speeds pretty well."

It wasn't the best of starts for Boches. He threw 25 pitches in the first inning, including one that Eric McGough blasted over the center-field fence. Boches' pitch count through three innings was 65.

"I was struggling to get my curveball over in the first two innings," Boches said. "That usually happens in the early part of games. But I know that I'm eventually going to get it over."

Boches, who is bound for Marist, played last summer and fall with the Titans, a showcase squad based in Lawrenceville, N.J.

"I really worked on my two-seam fastball," the Feasterville resident said. "I upped my velocity four to five miles per hour. With the competition we faced, it turns you into a better pitcher."

Against Carroll (10-5 overall, 5-4 league), the Santospago twins, Joe and John, fueled a nine-hit attack for Wood (11-4, 6-3). Joe Santospago delivered an RBI triple to right field in the third and a two-run homer in the same direction in the seventh; John Santospago cranked a two-run shot to center in the third.

John Santospago's third homer of the season came on an 0-1 change-up.

"If you put a good swing on a pitch here, it's got a chance of getting out," the Kent State recruit said.

Following in the footsteps of sister Dana, an elementary-school teacher in Arizona, Boches plans to major in special education at Marist.

"I sat in on one of her classes," the 18-year-old said. "It gave me some insight on what it will be like."

Archbishop Wood 013 000 3 - 7 9 3

Archbishop Carroll 100 100 1 - 3 5 1

WP: Scott Boches. LP: Matt Lafferty. 2B: AW-Erik Bowren, John Santospago. 3B: AW-Joe Santospago. HR: AW-John Santospago, Joe Santospago, Brett McCrossen; AC-Eric McGough.