Central Catholic’s focus is on game

Success for Central Catholic’s baseball program is measured by hardware.
The Eagles have played in the state championship game twice and the semifinals in the last three seasons.
“You can tell the team started getting more focused late in the season,” Central Catholic coach Tyler Jensen said. “While we don’t have a bunch of upper classmen on this team, our sophomores and juniors were around those successful teams.”
Central Catholic has only four seniors on this season’s roster.
Despite their youth, the Eagles (20-4) are the sixth-seed and open the playoffs April 30 hosting Delhi Charter (9-17), the 27th-seed.
Pitching has been the 2015 Eagles’ strength. CCHS has a four-man rotation which features two sophomores. The four starters are Blake Hidalgo, Samuel Guarisco, Charlie Solar and Greg Leger.
Central Catholic’s pitchers have only given up 58 runs in 24 games this season, that is 2.4 runs a game.
“Those guys have thrown the majority of the innings for us,” Jensen said. “We have others we can go to but those are our front line guys. We may go to more of a matchup-based rotation in the playoffs because there’s more time to scout and for our pitchers to rest.”
Offensively, Central Catholic scores nearly seven runs a game.
“We do what we have to do, to put runs on the board,” Jensen said. “We don’t look to manufacture runs like we have in the past, but we can play small ball if needed.”
Central Catholic pounded Gueydan 13-0 in the season finale Friday at home.
Patrick Barron got the win on the mound, throwing a 10-strikeout one hitter.
The Eagles scored in every inning, two in the first, a run in the second, two in the third and eight in the fourth to end the game.
Leading hitters were Stefano Guarisco, 0-for-1, an RBI and two runs; Matthew Barbier, 1-for-2, an RBI and a run; Mitchell Lemoine, 1-for-3, two RBIs and a run; and Thomas Garber, 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Also contributing were Carlos Rivalta, a run; Charlie Barron, 0-for-2 with two runs; Patrick Barron, 1-for-2, two RBIs and a run; Blake Hidalgo, 1-for-2, an RBI and a run; and Tony Pennison, 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a run.
The team was supposed to end regular-season play Saturday against Hanson, but inclement weather caused the game to be canceled.
“We’re going in with a lot of confidence,” Jensen said. “They know it’s game time. I’ll just remind them to play one game at a time, one pitch at a time.”
First pitch is 4 p.m. Thursday in Amelia.
--By CORWIN MURRAY