Gloucester Catholic rolls over Clearview

It was an inning that echoed of the past and maybe, just maybe, hinted of the future.

It was Gloucester Catholic being Gloucester Catholic.

It was 10 batters, six hits, six runs and the kind of high-energy, high-volume baseball that has marked the Rams for most of their history.

"Maybe after that inning, we'll get it going again," Gloucester Catholic senior first baseman John Brue said after a 10-4 victory over Clearview on Wednesday in a Tri-County Conference inter-division clash.

Brue was 4 for 4 with four RBIs and senior third baseman Brett Tenuto collected two hits and three runs for the Gloucester Catholic (19-4), the No. 4 team in The Inquirer Top 10.

Senior shortstop Nick DeFrank was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs and sophomore centerfielder T.J. Dezzi with 3 for 4 with two runs for Clearview (10-8).

"I was proud of the way we battled them," Clearview coach Rocco Cornacchia said. "We were right there but you can't give them one inning. They find a way."

Clearview tied the score at 3-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, with senior designated hitter Joe Reichl delivering an RBI single.

"I wanted to see how we would react to being in a close game," Gloucester Catholic coach Dennis Barth said.

The Rams batted around plus one. Leadoff man Pat Kane opened with a sharp single. Rob Alessandrine followed with a bunt single. After an error, Brue and juniors Giovanni Gussen, Frank Ragozzino and John Theckston delivered RBI singles.

The Rams also took advantage of two errors, two wild pitches and a balk, and stole two bases in the break-out inning.

"Their intensity is why they are so successful," Cornacchia said. "They continue to put pressure on you."

It's not like the Rams, who won Non-Public B state titles in 2010 and 2011, have stopped playing good baseball. They've lost just four games - two in the Bishop Gorman tournament in Las Vegas, one to North Jersey power Don Bosco Prep and one to No. 3 Millville in the first round of the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic on Saturday.

But the Rams have sky-high standards. They've missed senior second baseman Joe Brooks, the East Carolina recruit who has been out since April 18 with a thumb injury but could be back for the start of the Non-Public A tournament.

Barth was disappointed with his team's offensive approach against Millville's Andrew Biggs, who fired a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts.

"We haven't been ourselves lately," said Brue, who has signed with St. Joseph's. "But we've been taking some extra hitting and working hard. I think it showed that one inning."

It was just one inning. But it broke open one game, seemed reminiscient of lots of other games and raised the Rams' hopes for future games.

"I don't think we're that far away," Barth said.

Clearview    100 020 0 – 3 8 2

Gloucester Catholic    300 061 x – 10 13 2

WP: Dan Higgins. LP: Jay Gorman.

2B: C–Nick DeFrank 2; GC–Brett Tenuto, Frank Ragozzino. 3B: GC–John Brue.