The vaunted CCA hitting attack was once again shut down by Heritage Delray ace Billy Strode in a 7-2 loss Tuesday night. Strode beat CCA last season in a duel with future MLB first round draft pick Luke Jackson to eliminate the Eagles from post season.
This time around, CCA had more chances but eleven men left on base is perhaps the most telling stat. The Eagles loaded the bases twice but were only able to score one run from those rallies when Stephen Barnett was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth. Ryan Reilly provided the other Eagle run with a solo homer to deep center leading off the second. Andrew Liberty had a pair of singles and two walks but was unable to cross home plate.
Eagles starter Chris Walkerow pitched very well. He gave up two runs in the first and settled into a nice groove for a few innings. However, the Stallions manufactured three runs in the fourth inning to pull away. They added two in the sixth against Seth Natal to put the game effectively out of reach.
Hopefully not lost in the loss is the wonderful season orchestrated by Head Coach Gregg Mucerino. Eighteen wins against eight losses with the quality of schedule CCA played in 2011 is a marvelous achievement. Coach Moose improved his record at CCA to 60-22-1 in three seasons and is just two wins shy of his 100th win as a head coach. All six seniors on the team are either signed to play college baseball somewhere next year or are choosing from several options.
However, it is never easy to say goodbye and even more so with such a great group of seniors. Thanks to Emilio DeSilva, Anthony Avila, Tyler Middlebrooks, Seth Natal, Chris Walkerow and Ryan Lowrey for entertaining us all. On and off the field! May God Bless you all in whatever your future endeavors include and may these years at CCA prove to be memorable for throughout your lives.
Calvary Christian Academy Baseball - 142 As One: United, Passionate, Accountable, Relentless
