Xaverian bends, doesn't break, tops BC High

After guiding Xaverian through six innings and allowing just four hits on 97 pitches, starting pitcher Matt Morin took a seat in the dugout with a comfortable 7-1 lead.

But Catholic Central foe BC High - ranked second in EMass - wasn't done yet, responding with a six-hit, six-run seventh against three relievers that tied the score.

But for all the spark the Eagles showed in the seventh, they lost the game, 8-7, yesterday in a frustrating manner: a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth.

Xaverian coach Jerry Lambert said despite the close call, he was happy with the poise his team showed late in the game.

"The first thing is the whole premise of the pitcher - a lot of people looking at that would say, what are you doing switching the pitcher?" he said. "And my perspective on that is that it's early in the season, [Morin] had 97 pitches in six innings . . . so I don't really second-guess that decision, even though it worked out horribly."

Morin gave up one run in six innings, posting three strikeouts. With a 1-0 lead going into the fourth, the unranked Hawks (5-0) tacked on four runs in that inning, getting key hits from Tim Curran (double), Sean Riley (triple), and CJ Parsons (double).

BC High (2-1) traded runs with the Hawks in the fifth, but Xaverian went up, 7-1, in the bottom of the sixth when Morin doubled in Curran.

"And it's a good thing we got that run," Lambert said.

Tyler Horan kicked off the BC High comeback with a bases-loaded single that drove in two runs.

After four more came around, Pat Walsh, Xaverian's fourth pitcher and third in the seventh, cleared a one-out, first-and-third jam, keeping the Eagles at bay before Curran walked home with the win.

Catholic Conference: Kevin Gilchrist struck out five and scattered three hits and one unearned run in six innings as Malden Catholic beat Catholic Memorial, 6-2.

Catholic Central: Pope John's Brett Mayo struck out 12 in a 7-5 victory over Cathedral.

Commonwealth: Austin Brody blasted two grand slams and a two-run homer to rack up 11 RBIs in Whittier Tech's 20-7 rout of Greater Lowell.

Dual County: Lincoln-Sudbury's Sam Finn threw a no-hitter, boosting the Warriors to a 3-0 win over Bedford.

Middlesex: Tom Leahy allowed two hits and Gabe Orlowitz went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, as Wakefield bested Stoneham, 8-1.

South Coast: In Bourne's 9-0 win over Wareham, Keith Bilodeau struck out 14 and allowed two hits in six innings, and went 4 for 4 with a double.

Tri-Valley: Sean Gordon broke a 2-2 tie with a bases-loaded triple to propel Medfield past Ashland, 7-2.

Softball

Catholic Conference: Stephanie Bresnahan fanned eight as Matignon beat Marian, 7-0, - the Warriors' first win over the longtime rival in more than seven years.

Dual County: Gayle Minor threw a perfect game for Concord-Carlisle in its 12-0 win over Boston Latin . . . Weston's Maria Pusa threw a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts and hit a grand slam and a triple to drive in five runs in an 11-2 win over Newton South.

Hockomock: Righty Jen Jones pitched a perfect game in King Philip's 10-0 win over Canton . . . Lefty Kat Reynolds threw a one-hit shutout as Franklin toppled Oliver Ames, 16-0.

Merrimack Valley: In Andover's 11-9 win over Chelmsford, Tricia Martin went 5 for 5 with three homers and seven RBIs.

Patriot: Undefeated Duxbury handed Silver Lake its first loss of the season behind Casey Ducinski's 10 strikeouts and Robin Rader's four RBIs.

Nonleague: Taunton's Erin Wade struck out 15 and tossed a one-hitter to beat New Bedford, 7-0 . . . Arianna Bordonaro struck out nine and Courtney Whipple hit a three-run homer as Pope John topped Northeast, 13-10.

Boys' lacrosse

Mass. Technical: Freshman Dylan Leone scored the winner with 42 seconds to play as Shawsheen edged Valley Tech, 8-7.