Replay: Moreci tosses shutout as Jesuit downs Holy Cross

NEW ORLEANS – Coming off a tough outing against Brother Martin, Jake Moreci was determined to rebound in a key District 9-5A game with Holy Cross Tuesday afternoon at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium.

Moreci did just that, pitching a complete game as Jesuit shut out the Tigers 6-0 to gain a split in the district series in a game streamed live at CrescentCitySports.com.

Moreci pitched a complete game five-hitter, walking two and struck out five after struggling a bit in the first inning after his last rough outing.

“My mechanics were a little off and we fixed some of the kinks today,” Moreci said. “I’ve been working on the breaking ball. I’ve been a little inconsistent with it this year. We were working on fixing that and it showed today. I just trusted my defense behind me.”

Jesuit took the lead in the top of the second inning. Connor Donnelly was hit by a pitch and Joe Bosco singled. Luke Werling was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Michael Brothers walked, scoring Donnelly to make it 1-0.

Everett Denny also drew a bases loaded walk and it was 2-0. Derek Delatte drove in a run on a fielder’s choice grounder and a second run scored on an error to make it 4-0. Marshal Serio drove home a run with a fielder’s choice and it was 5-0.

Denny hammered a home run to right to start the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Blue Jays a 6-0 lead.

Jesuit finished the scoring in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Denny and Delatte singled and Serio singled to center, scoring Denny, who was 2-for two with two walks, a stolen base and two RBI.

“It’s good to respond after a tough loss on Saturday,” Jesuit coach Kenny Goodlett said. “Jake Moreci did a fantastic job especially in these conditions, letting his defense play. Everett is just solid, a good senior leader. I’m very excited for Everett.”

It was a very satisfying day for Everett, who found out after the game that he had been selected to the Louisiana All-Star game.

The Tigers had just two runners reach third. Holy Cross stranded a pair of runners in the fourth and seventh innings.

“Moreci really mixed up his pitches, threw a lot of quality strikes down in the zone,” Holy Cross coach Aaron Barras said. “That first inning, I thought we had something rolling there. Unfortunately, it didn’t work in our favor. I felt there was a big inning coming but it didn’t happen. After that, he got into a groove. It’s tough to come back from a five-spot with a guy pitching that well”

Ryder Planchard took the loss, going two innings, allowing five runs (three earned). Trace Thomas pitched four innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

The Blue Jays (18-10, 6-4) stayed in the race for the district title with the win. Jesuit will host John Curtis Christian Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium to open a two-game series.

Holy Cross (12-11, 5-5) opens a two-game series at home against Archbishop Rummel Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

FINAL

Holy Cross 000 000 0
Jesuit 050 101 X

WP—Jake Moreci (5-2)
LP—Ryder Planchard (3-1)
Time of Game: 1:51

SB—Everett Denny, Derek Delatte, Marshal Serio, Dom Pellegrin, Aaron Guichard
2B—Denny Trosclair
HR—Everett Denny (2)