[Stardust]

St. Xavier pitcher Colin McFarland didn’t play in the first game against Trinity this season, but he made his presence felt Monday in the Seventh Region baseball tournament at Southern.“I wanted to pitch in that game (May 3 at Louisville Slugger Field), but I was injured,’’ McFarland said after St. X (27-11) avenged that 3-0 loss to with a 7-0 victory.
McFarland, a senior right-hander, pitched six innings for the defending regional champions, allowing three hits and a walk. He struck out four and made three exceptional defensive plays.
“I had an infection in my knee then, but this makes it even sweeter,’’’ McFarland said. “I was just trying to throw strikes, keep the ball low and get groundball outs.’’
Austin Warner, who limited St. X to two hits on May 3, took the loss.
Eastern (32-7) had to overcome a 4-0 deficit in the first inning to eliminate Fern Creek 14-4, thanks to a seven-run fourth inning and Mikey Baker’s game-ending RBI single in the fifth. Marshall Gei went 3 for 3 and had two-run singles in the first two innings to spark the comeback.
Today St. X, ranked No. 3 by state coaches, plays Kentucky Country Day in a 5 p.m. semifinal at the University of Louisville’s Jim Patterson Stadium. No. 2 Eastern, which lost to St. X. 4-3 in last year’s regional final, will play No. 7 Male at 7:30.