Robbie Bellusci earned his first win of 2011 by shutting down Wilmington's bats while allowing the Blue Streak offense to come alive
Two sophomores played dramatically different but very key roles for John Carroll in its 2011 season opener Sunday afternoon in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Robbie Bellusci (Burr Ridge, IL, Hinsdale Central) pitched two innings of scoreless relief to right the Blue Streaks ship, while
Aaron Miller (Burton, OH, Berkshire) effectively parked the ship with a three-run home run in the seventh. the end result was an 11-8 John Carroll victory over Wilmington at South County Regional Park.
Box Score
The teams traded leads four times over the first six innings, with the Quakers overcoming a 5-3 deficit with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 6-5 advantage entering the final three frames.
After Bellusci worked a scoreless top of the seventh,
Brian Benander (Richmond Heights, OH, Cleveland St. Ignatius) and
Tom Hickey (Orland Park, IL, Brother Rice) opened the bottom half of the frame with back-to-back singles. JCU had runners at first and third with no outs when Miller stepped to the plate.
The sophomore catcher, who hit a double his previous at bat, proceeded to belt a 1-0 pitch over the wall to put JCU up by an 8-6 count.
John Carroll was not done. A two-out bases loaded single by
Joe Veltri plated two runs, and Benander had a second at bat of the innings and drove in the Blue Streaks sixth and final run of the seventh.
Wilmington tacked on two runs in the ninth, but John Carroll held on for the win.
Bellusci picked up his first victory of 2011, working two innings and allowing zero runs and three hits, walking one and striking out one. Veltri had a team-high three hits, while Benander, Hickey, Miller,
Ryan Konsler (Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest) and
Patrick Fallon (North Olmsted, OH, Lakewood St. Edward)each had a pair of hits as part of a 16-hit, 11-run attack.
