Gloucester Catholic thumps St. Augustine, 11-1

It was a special day for Phil Dickinson and the Gloucester Catholic baseball team.

The game was pretty good for the Rams, too.

Dickinson, a senior shortstop, reached base three times and played flawlessly in the field to help Gloucester Catholic to an 11-1 victory over St. Augustine Prep Sunday in a clash of two of South Jersey's top teams.

Junior John Murphy pitched a complete game and junior second baseman Sean Breen was 4 for 4 with four RBIs for Gloucester Catholic in the final matchup of a two-day, seven-game Coaches vs. Cancer showcase at Millville.

"We needed a game like this," Dickinson said of Gloucester Catholic (9-4), the No. 3 team in the new top-10 rankings.

Senior starter Joey Gatto worked three innings for No. 4 St. Augustine (8-3). Pitching before a large crowd that included about a dozen professional scouts, Gatto hit 93 m.p.h. on the radar gun and struck out five but also walked six.

St. Augustine pitchers walked 11 and also hit a batter in a game that was shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule.

"You're not going to win any games with that many walks," St. Augustine coach Mike Bylone said.

Murphy advanced his reputation as one of the state's top big-game pitchers. He allowed five hits with three walks and struck out seven. His fastball touched 90 m.p.h.

"He wants the ball in these games," Gloucester Catholic coach Mike Rucci said. The Rams wore fluorescent green T-shirts that Rucci designed for Sunday's event. The T-shirts were embossed on the left arm with "CB3" and on the right arm with "TD."

The "CB3" stood for former Gloucester Catholic star Cody Brown, South Jersey's player of the year in 2011. Brown, who recently was declared cancer-free after radiation and chemotherapy for lymphoma, threw out the first pitch on his 21st birthday.

"Cody is an inspiration to all of these guys," Rucci said.

The "TD" on the right sleeve stood for Phil's father, Tom Dickinson, who died of cancer in October.

"This meant so much to me," Dickinson said. "To see so many people here, so many people who have lost somebody, it makes me feel grateful for the time I had with my dad."

Dickinson said he was overwhelmed when Rucci unveiled the T-shirts. "I felt joy," he said.

"Maybe he can start to move forward," Rucci said. "He's a hard worker and a tough, tough kid. But no teenager should have to go through this."

Gloucester Catholic 030 53 - 11 8 0

St. Augustine 100 00 - 1 5 1

WP: John Murphy. LP: Joey Gatto.

2B: GC-Fran Kinsey, Tre Todd.

@PhilAnastasia