The consolation games at the 2022 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance provided a record-setting performance, two extra inning games, and plenty more action. Here's what happened at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, on Thursday at the NHSI:
SERVITE 8, BUFORD 1
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Agustin Gutierrez tripled to the right field wall and Roman Martin plated him with an RBI double in the very next at bat to give Servite an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
- Roman Martin added another run for the Friars in the first frame when he stole third and came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 in Servite’s favor.
- A Buford miscue in the top of the second allowed Joey Rossetti to score Servite’s third run of the game after he reached on a hit-by-pitch and stole second to get into scoring position.
- Mikiah Negrete helped his own cause in the top of the third with an RBI double of his own that scored Trevor Schmidt for a 4-0 Servite advantage.
- Servite’s third RBI double of the game, this one off the bat of Camden Clewett, gave the Friars a commanding 5-0 lead in the third.
- After Jarrod Hocking scored on an errant throw by Buford in the top of the fourth for Servite’s seventh run, Trevor Schmidt launched a no-doubt, two-run homer over the right field wall to make it an 8-0 game.
- Buford finally broke through for its first run of the contest in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI groundout from Jackson Gaspard to cut the deficit to seven but that’s all the Wolves would be able to get as Servite closed out the 8-1 victory.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- Trevor Schmidt went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, one walk, and a two-run homer for Servite.
- Camden Clewett had Servite’s only multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with one RBI.
- Brant Baughcum (2-for3) paced the Buford offense with the team’s sole multi-hit performance.
- Mikiah Negrete picked up the win with his complete game effort on the mound for Servite, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six in his seven innings of work.
- Buford’s Riley Stanford suffered the loss after surrendering four earned runs on three hits and two walks in 2.2 innings on the mound.
ON DECK
- Servite and Buford will both continue their runs in the consolation bracket on Friday. Their next opponents will be announced this evening.
REGIS JESUIT 3, BISHOP VEROT 2
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Back-to-back base knocks got the scoring started for Bishop Verot in the bottom of the first as Maddix Simpson singled and stole second to get into scoring position for Andrew Hanlon who followed with an RBI single that gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
- After a quiet start to the game on offense, Regis Jesuit broke through and took the lead with two runs in the fourth courtesy of back-to-back RBI doubles from Nate McHugh and Andrew Bell.
- Bishop Verot had an immediate answer in the bottom half of the fourth to tie things up at 2-2 when Andrew Hanlon singled and courtesy runner Joey De La Nuez came around to score on a Dylan Peck single up the middle one batter later.
- Finn O’Connor’s leadoff double got the Raiders rolling again in the top of the sixth before Dallas Macias dropped an RBI single into left field that brought in the go-ahead run and secured Regis Jesuit’s 3-2 victory.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- Dallas Macias and Nate McHugh both finished 1-for-2 with one run scored and one RBI for Regis Jesuit, while Finn O’Connor went 1-for-3 and scored the game-winning run.
- Andrew Hanlon (2-for-3) and Dylan Peck (2-for-3) pace the Bishop Verot offense with multi-hit games and one RBI apiece.
- Brian Fischer earned the win with his complete game effort on the mound for Regis Jesuit, allowing just two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three.
- Bishop Verot’s Josiah Velazquez gave up three runs on four hits and was tagged with the loss.
ON DECK
- Regis Jesuit and Bishop Verot will both continue their runs in the consolation bracket on Friday. Their next opponents will be announced this evening.
DH CONLEY 7, MCQUAID JESUIT 6 (9 INNINGS)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- McQuaid Jesuit took advantage of a DH Conley throwing error and a wild pitch to plate a pair of runs in top of the first and take an early 2-0 lead.
- DH Conley cut the deficit in half and made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice bunt from Bryce Jackson that brought home Dixon Williams, who had led off the inning with a single.
- Three consecutive two-out walks loaded the bases for McQuaid Jesuit in the top of the third for CJ Phelps who came up clutch with a two-RBI single through the left side that put the Knights up 4-1.
- Riley Williams smoked a leadoff triple down the right field line before scoring on a Matthew Matthjis RBI groundout to make it 4-2 and once again put DH Conley within two.
- Bryce Jackson and Spencer Bradley followed with a double to right and a walk, respectively, and Luke Lambert made it a one-run game, 4-3, with an RBI single.
- McQuaid Jesuit loaded the bases for the third time in the contest with back-to-back singles and a walk in the top of the fourth before Edward Hall drew the second walk of the frame to extend the Knights’ lead to 5-3.
- The Knights took a 6-3 lead in the top of the seventh when Edward Hall drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a DH Conley error before stealing home.
- DH Conley got a rally going in the bottom of the seventh with RBI singles from Bryce Jackson and Spencer Bradley that brought the Vikings within one before a Luke Lambert RBI groundout plated the tying run and sent the game to extras knotted up at 6-6.
- After a quiet eighth inning, DH Conley’s Riley Williams led off the ninth inning with a walk and Matthew Matthijs followed with a single before two McQuaid errors loaded the bases and allowed the winning run to score, giving the Vikings a walkoff 7-6 victory.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- Bryce Jackson (2-for-4), Matthew Matthijs (2-for-5), and Riley Williams (2-for-3) all collected multi-hit games for DH Conley with Jackson adding two RBIs and two runs scored, while Williams crossed the plate three time and Matthijs recorded one RBI and one run.
- Will Taylor (2-for-4) paced the McQuaid Jesuit offense with two hits, two runs scored, a stolen base, and a walk.
- Luke Lambert got the win after tossing one hitless, scoreless inning in which he allowed just one walk.
- McQuaid Jesuit’s Matthew Wilmarth (0-1) suffered the loss in the contest after allowing four runs on our hits in 2.1 innings of relief.
- Ryan Smith came on in relief for DH Conley and put together five strong innings on the mound, allowing just one earned run on three hits while collecting 10 strikeouts.
ON DECK
- DH Conley and McQuaid will continue their runs in the consolation bracket on Friday. Their next opponents will be announced this evening.
HANOVER 9, THE FIRST ACADEMY 2 (10 INNINGS)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- After a quiet first two innings for both teams, Hanover got the scoring going in the top of the third as Owen DeShazo hit a one-out single and stole second before crossing the plate on a Nolan Williamson RBI single to left that gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead that they would hold until the sixth inning.
- The First Academy offense got off to a slow start in the contest but the Royals finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when Greg Pettay drew a two-out walk, stole second, and was brought home with a Trent Kelly RBI single that tie the game, 1-1.
- With neither team able to score in the seventh, the contest went to extras where Hanover once again struck first. Back-to-back leadoff singles and a walk quickly loaded the bases for the Hawks and Seth Keller capitalized with a sacrifice fly to right that made it a 2-1 game.
- The Royals responded in the bottom half of the eighth with a run of their own to tie it back up when Greg Pettay and Trent Kelly once again combined to get their team on the board. Pettay hit a two-out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Kelly came through with another RBI single to make it 2-2.
- Hanover sealed the victory with a seven-run top of the tenth that gave the Hawks a 9-2 victory.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- Cannon Peebles led Hanover at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
- Owen DeShazo and Nolan Williamson both finished 2-for-6 with DeShazo scoring two runs and Williamson adding a run of his own and two RBIs.
- Seth Keller (2-for-3) also collected a multi-hit game for the Hawks while also recording an RBI and a run scored in the win.
- Trent Kelly finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead The First Academy’s offense.
- Hanover’s Seth Keller also dominated on the mound, surrendering just one run, three hits, and one walk while striking out 16.
- Seth Keller’s 16 punchouts broke Jack Flaherty’s record for strikeouts in a single game at the NHSI.
- Marcus Van Alstine (1-0) earned the win after tossing three innings of relief in which he allowed just one run on two hits and struck out four.
- Harrison Miller (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up eight runs on six hits with five walks in three innings of relief for The First Academy.
ON DECK
- Hanover and The First Academy will both continue their runs in the consolation bracket on Friday. Their next opponents will be announced this evening.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2022 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI22 in their posts.
