Recap
Cathedral's Dillon Peters was very impressive striking out 13 batters over six innings, leading Cathedral to a big 7-3 win over Lawrence Central at Victory Field in Indianapolis Saturday.
Peters also starred on offense with a two-run double and RBI triple. The Texas commit was in control of three pitches, keeping Lawrence Central off balance with a low 90s fastball, slider, and change up.
He was helped early as the Fighting Irish offense scored three runs in both the first and second innings off LC starter Jared Ruxer.
SS Matt Dauby started the game with a single up the middle, setting the tone for the Cathedral offense.
"The kids executed real well. They were aggressive with pitches we could be aggressive with," said Cathedral coach Rich Andriole.
Lawrence Central coach Dan Roman also gave credit to Cathedral. "Ruxer had good command and location, they just put together some good at bats. Each team had seven hits, they had some timely ones."
Roman also saw a lot of positives in the Bears offense. "We hit the ball hard, we hit Dillon as good as anyone."
Cathedral also got big hits from LF Nick McCarty, who threw a scoreless 7th inning to lock down the win, and a two-run double from sophomore Michael Knesniak.
The game was big for both teams, as the rivals look to be the top two teams in the state. A rematch in the post season could be in store as the two are in the same sectional, but both coaches noted the depth of talent in the state and the Indianapolis area.
A rematch would likely see the Bears start RHP Christian Mongtomery, the hard-throwing right-hander ranked #39 in the 2011 class and a good bet to come off the board early in June.
Preview
Saturday’s matchup between Cathedral (IN) and Lawrence Central (IN) looks like the biggest in the state this year, with both teams featuring loaded rosters with multiple future Division 1 players competing on a minor league venue, Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis, home of the AAA Indianapolis Indians.
The two teams have combined to go 14-2 this year, with the only blemishes being Cathedral dropping an early season contest to Zionsville, and Lawrence Central dropping their first game Thursday vs. Perry Meridian. Lawrence will play host to Lawrence North on Friday before the match-up Saturday night.
The pitching matchup figures to be one of the best of the year, featuring two senior aces. Cathedral will start LHP Dillon Peters, a Texas commit who has already put his name in the Indiana state record books. Lawrence Central will counter with RHP Jared Ruxer, a Louisville commit armed with a low 90s fastball.
Both teams also have some star power in the field as Cathedral has Notre Dame commit 3B Phil Mosey as well as two juniors to watch in SS Matt Dauby and OF/RHP Nick McCarty.
Lawrence Central features SS Brandon Krieg, a Purdue commit, and an Indiana commit in C Brandon Wind, who is hitting .550 on the year. The Bears also have AFLAC All-American RHP Christian Montgomery, a Chipola JC commit, and ranked #39 in the class of 2011.
The schools are very familiar with each other, being just a few miles apart as well as being traditional baseball powerhouses. This year’s contest looks to be as competitive as every with Cathedral coming in at #38 in the latest National Rankings. Cathedral sits at #2 in the newly released Midwest Regional Rankings with Lawrence Central following at #4. Cathedral has had the upper hand lately, winning the last four match-ups.
The two teams have scored a lot of runs in the early going, but with Peters and Ruxer on the mound they will be much harder to come by.
“We will have to capitalize on opportunities,” Cathedral coach Rich Andriole said when asked about facing Ruxer. “That might be a base hit to the right side, or getting a bunt down. We anticipate a one-run game.”
With Peters on the mound Andriole knows he will get a strong outing from the left-hander saying, “Dillon is one of those guys who play big in big games.”
Lawrence Central coach Dan Roman echoed Andriole's thoughts. "We expect it it to be a one or two run run game, it will come down to who makes the play, who gets the hit."
While the pitchers are the big story, both teams depth, in the field and on the mound will likely be a deciding factor in Saturday’s game as well as in the postseason, as the teams are sectional opponents.
Whichever team makes it out of the sectional will be one of the favorites in the 4A tournament, which concludes at the same site as Saturday’s matchup, Victory Field.
Check back Monday for the complete game recap.
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