St. John Paul II Academy’s seventh-inning rally fell short against Fort Pierce-John Carroll Catholic in the Class 3A baseball regional finals on Tuesday at Fort Pierce.
After finally getting on the board on a run scored by freshman Patrick Mazzamaro, the Eagles (22-5) had their equalizing run stranded in the top of the seventh, falling to the Rams 2-1.
St. John Paul II Academy senior Gavin Adams got the loss in the pitching duel despite limiting the Rams to only three hits, three walks and one earned run while striking out seven batters. Appearing in 13 contests for St. John Paul II this season, Adams, who also placed second on the team in hits, entered the game with a 5-2 record and 1.69 ERA.
John Carroll Catholic senior Braden Calise struck out nine opposing hitters, restricting the Eagles to just two hits and one walk. Adams earned one of the hits against Calise while junior Kevin Freshcorn — the Eagles’ team-leader in hits — picked up the other.
Also fueling the Rams’ bats, Calise tallied one hit and two RBIs, scoring sophomore Matt Correa and senior Jay Allen.
John Carroll Catholic (18-10) will face off the winner of Miami Westminster Christian and Hialeah Educational Academy in the state semifinals on Monday.
