DiGiorgios qualifies for postseason
By Eric Taylor
Leader sports editor
After winning its second consecutive Class B state title in the spring, the Gross baseball team has a chance to add to its trophy case this summer.
DiGiorgios Sportswear, Gross’ Senior American Legion squad, advanced to state tournament play after Sunday’s 6-3 victory over Skutt on the Skyhawks home field during the Area 4 Tournament.
It marks the fifth time in the past six seasons the Gross baseball program has earned a spot in one of the two Class A state tournaments.
“No matter how many times you get to state, you’re always happy,” DiGiorgios coach Mike Filipowicz said after the win. “Even after winning a state title in the spring, I think we needed to prove that we could still play with the best teams in the state.”
DiGiorgios twice took care of Skutt in the tourney after beating them twice on the final day of the Class B spring tourney.
“I think our kids get excited to play Skutt,” Filipowicz said. “I thought our guys played with a lot of poise.”
It was two gutsy pitching performances that earned DiGiorgios a spot in the postseason.
Starter Tony Nelson, pitching on three days rest, went 7 2/3 innings and surrendered just four hits and a single earned run.
“Tony gets a lot of credit for tonight,” Filipowicz said. “He pitched a tremendous game on three days rest and he took us as far as he could.”
Nelson took a four-run lead into the eighth before Skutt got the tying run at the plate with one out before Nelson gave way to Paul Rosales.
Despite not having pitched in nearly three weeks with a strained labrum, Rosales dominated Skutt batters in the same fashion he did while shutting them out in the Class B championship game two months earlier.
He got a strikeout and a ground ball to end the threat in the eighth, then retired Skutt in order in the ninth for the save.
“I talked to Paul before the game and he told me he could give me two or three innings,” Filipowicz said. “I wasn’t sure what we were going to get from him, but I felt like he needed to be out there.”
DiGiorgios scored three in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Skutt trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the third and the score remained that way until the seventh.
Jon Negley led off the inning by reaching second base on a ball misplayed by Skutt’s leftfielder. Zach Kinsella drove in him on an RBI single and Thomas Jurgensen plated two more runs with a single up the middle two batters later.
“It was huge to get those three runs and Zach and Thomas both came up with big hits,” Filipowicz said.
Jurgensen and J.J. Lebeda each finished with two hits on the night.
In other tourney action:
Digiorgios 9, Benson 2 – Nelson went seven innings for the win and was backed by a 12-hit attack.
Negley, Rosales, Lebeda and Jurgensen each had two hits with Rosales, Vinnie Orsi and Lebeda combining for seven RBIs.
DiGiorgios 8, Skutt 2 – Joe Foral went the distance for DiGiorgios, scattering seven hits for the victory.
Orsi had a pair of hits and scored three runs while Jurgensen had three hits and Lebeda two. Kinsella drove in two runs.
Millard South 8, DiGiorgios 4 – Millard South scored two runs in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take command.
Orsi had four hits in the loss with Rosales driving in two.
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