Tampa Catholic Shuts Out DeBartolo In District Playoff Win

The Tampa Catholic Crusaders squared off with the Brooks DeBartolo Phoenix Tuesday afternoon in a 4-A4 playoff match up. The Phoenix struggled against Crusaders starter Conor Grady, who went the distance in a 7-0 victory over the Phoenix.

The Crusaders (11-13) took the early 2-0 advantage on a couple of miscues by the Phoenix defense. After reaching base on a double, Jordan Lala scored the first of his two runs on the night followed by Anthony Enriquez. From there, Grady took over.

Grady needed just 68 pitches to get through seven innings. He allowed no runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out five in the victory.

“Conor Grady pitched a great game,” said Manager Ty Griffin. “He was striking out guys and recording big outs when we needed them. We played extremely good defense behind him, turning two double plays and tracking balls in the outfield.”

Logan Cade and Luis Andujar collected the only two hits for the Phoenix (8-17) who only saw five base runners all night. Johnny Diaz and Jake Lidner each worked a walk to reach base.

With Grady dealing on the mound, the Crusaders continued to add to their lead. Tanner Alvarado and Cristian Docobo each scored in the second to double their lead. Lala and Enriquez each scored their second run of the game on a Calvin Rucker single to left during a three-run sixth to secure a 7-0 victory.

“Our offense adjusted extremely well against DeBartolo pitching tonight,” said Griffin. “We worked the count and came up with a couple big hits with men on base. Overall we played a winning style of baseball.”

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