Bishop Brossart 5 Saint Xavier 3 (2012 State Tournament Quarterfinals)

**Stardust** · 06-07-2012, 12:59 PM

[Image: http://cmsimg.highschoolsports.net/apps/...h=410&q=60]

**Stardust** · 06-07-2012, 01:00 PM

LEXINGTON, KY. — Tanner Norton’s two-run double highlighted a four-run sixth inning as Bishop Brossart came from behind to beat St. Xavier 5-3 in the quarterfinals of the Kentucky National Insurance/State Tournament on Wednesday night at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.“We just battled; these guys never say die,” Mustangs coach Ron Verst said. “These guys aren’t fazed. We can play with anybody.”
Down 3-1 after an eventful fourth inning, the Mustangs made their move against St. X starter Ben Britt in the sixth.
“I knew our last shot was going to be the sixth inning,” said Verst, whose team had the top of the order coming up in the inning.
Britt got off on the wrong foot by walking leadoff batter Jared Hahn on four pitches. With one out, Zach Fardo hit a bloop single to shallow center field, moving Hahn to second. In a lefty-lefty matchup, Norton doubled to left-center to score Hahn and Vardo to tie it at 3. That chased Britt (8-1) for reliever Jack Cleary.
With pinch-runner Zach Martin at second for Norton, Cleary intentionally walked Trevor Bezold. Bobby Roderick followed with an RBI single to left to make it 4-3. Clay Verst ran for Roderick, and both runners advanced on a passed ball. Erik Rieger’s single to center drove in Bezold, but Verst was caught at the plate on a great throw by Jake Johnson and tag by Zach Montgomery.
Nate Verst (10-0) retired the Tigers in order in the seventh to get the complete-game victory.
“He’ll give you everything he’s got,” coach Verst said of Nate Verst, his cousin’s son.
Bishop Brossart (27-12) advanced to Friday’s semifinals against Woodford County, which rallied past South Warren 7-3 by scoring three in the fifth and three in the sixth. St. X finished 30-12.
The Tigers threatened in the top of the first when Austin Clemons hit a one-out double to the left-field wall and went to third on a flyout by Andrew Willinger, but he was stranded there.
The Mustangs also failed to score in the bottom half after Fardo stole second with two out.

If not for Fardo in center field, the Tigers would have struck in the second inning. Alex Mercer had a one-out infield hit and went to second on a throwing error by catcher Norton on a pickoff attempt. Montgomery then crushed a ball to deep center that Fardo chased down. Mercer, halfway to third, had to hustle back to second and was left there.After three scoreless innings, both teams broke through in the fourth.
Willinger got the Tigers started in the top of the inning with a single, and Sam Melchior came in to pinch run. Verst walked Andrew McCormick with one out, and Mercer singled to left field to drive in Melchior. McCormick got caught in a rundown between second and third, but an error on second baseman Hahn put him on third and Mercer on second. Britt, helping his own cause, bounced a ground-rule double over the left-field fence to score both runners and make it 3-0.
The Mustangs got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Nate Verst singled to right and pinch-runner Clay Kramer scored on Bezold’s double to the wall in left-center.http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/section...le?site=B2