CARY, N.C. – Don Bosco Prep nine-hole hitter Anthony Zollo crushed the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the seventh inning for a walk-off RBI-double to deep left-center as the Ironmen defeated Buford High School 4-3 in the first round of the USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

Buford (0-1) starter Dylan Lesko’s strong game was not enough to capture the win for the Wolves, who will fall into the consolation bracket. Lesko was formidable on the mound, striking out seven of the 14 batters he faced in the no decision. He gave up one run on two hits in four innings of work. Lesko was also responsible for all three Buford runs offensively, finishing the day 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scoring on a wild pitch in the second inning.

Buford (Buford, Ga.) relievers couldn’t keep Don Bosco Prep (1-0) at bay, however, as Nathan Taylor surrendered three runs on five hits in 2.1 innings to get tagged with the loss.

Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) starter Caden Dana gave up three runs on five hits in his five innings of work and struck out six of the 18 batters he faced. Jonathan Rodriguez was stellar in relief of Dana, pitching three innings of shutout baseball, giving up just two hits and striking out four to earn the win.

Andy Granatell (2 runs) and Zollo (1 run) both finished the day 2-for-3 for the Ironmen, and Allen Hernandez, Kevin Jaxel, Jack Cannizzaro, and Zollo tallied RBIs for Don Bosco Prep. Lesko was the only Buford hitter with multiple hits and an RBI in the game.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Dylan Lesko got the Wolves on the board in the top of the third inning with a two-RBI single to left field, scoring Carson King and Jackson Gaspard to put Buford ahead 2-0.
• Dylan Lesko took advantage of a wild pitch from Don Bosco Prep’s starting pitcher, Caden Dana, and scored the third run of the game for Buford to go up 3-0 in the second inning.
• Allen Granatell picked up the first hit of the game for Don Bosco Prep in the bottom of the third inning with a single left field and Jack Cannizzaro wasted no time brining him in, lacing a double down the right field line to score Granatell from first base.
• With a runner on second base and no outs in the bottom of the third inning, Buford’s defense stymied the Don Bosco Prep offensive threat with a 5-3, 3-5 double-play between the Wolves’ Andrew McMurray and Riley Stanford, preserving their 3-1 lead.
• With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Don Bosco Prep’s Allen Hernandez sent a fly ball to deep left field for the sacrifice fly to pull within one run of Buford, 3-2. Kevin Jaxel then tied the game with an RBI-single to right field, pushing the game to the final inning knotted at three.
• Andy Granatell led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to left-center and moved into scoring position on a Jack Cannizzaro sac bunt, forcing Buford to go to its pen. Then, Anthony Zollo crushed the first pitch he saw to deep left-center to walk-off Buford, 4-3.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Don Bosco Prep’s Caden Dana gave up three runs on five hits in five innings. Dana struck out six of the 18 Wolves batters he faced in the no-decision.
• Dylan Lesko was solid on the mound in his NHSI debut, striking out seven of the 14 batters faced. He gave up just two hits and one run in 4.0 innings of work. Offensively, Lesko went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and was responsible for all three Buford runs scored.
• Nathan Taylor suffered the loss for Buford, giving up three runs on five hits in 2.1 innings.
• Jonathan Rodriguez picked up the victory for Don Bosco Prep, striking out four batters in his three innings of scoreless relief.
• Andy Granatell (2-for-3, 2 runs) and Anthony Zollo (2-for-3, 1 run) each tallied two hits for Don Bosco Prep to lead the offense on the day.

ON DECK

• Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) advances to the quarterfinals of the 2022 National High School Invitational on Friday. The Ironmen will face St. Johns Country Day School (Orange Park, Fla.).
• Buford falls into the consolation bracket with the loss. Their next opponent will be announced this evening.

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Stay tuned with all the action at the 2022 National High School Invitational by follow @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI22 in their posts.