Seton's Bransen Cosgrove follows his 2nd-inning RBI double to left in 9-2 win. (AzPreps365 photo)

#3 Seton Catholic navigated its second game of the 4A state baseball tournament Monday afternoon in similar fashion to its first. Tight game early-mid-innings then a knockout punch late.

The Sentinels tallied twice in the fifth and five times in the sixth to put away #11 St. Mary's, 9-2, in the first game of the double-elimination portion of the tourney at Seton Catholic. Seton moves on to face Catalina Foothills on Wednesday at 6:30 at HoHoKam Stadium. St. Mary's (19-11) plays an elimination game against Thunderbird on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at HoHoKam Stadium. Thunderbird lost to Catalina Foothills, 14-1.

Seton improved to 26-1 and the latest win was guided all the way by junior lefthander Ethan Brown on the hill. Brown threw six strong shutout innings. He protected an early 2-0 lead for five innings before his offense busted the contest open. Brown's final line: three hits allowed, three walks and seven strikeouts. His record for the season is 7-0.

Brown gave up a hit and walk to open the seventh and hit the pitch count. The two runners Brown allowed to reach scored so St. Mary's avoided being blanked. Seton coach Brian Stephenson got more than enough from his starter.

"Ethan was money today, as good as he's been all year," Stephenson said. "He was good the last game he pitched in the regular season against Cactus Shadows. He had some erratic times early in the year, but he's settled in and been strong for us."

Seton has benefitted from a strong hitting lineup 1-9 all season, according to Stephenson. Usually at least two or three players do the damage if others have a tough day. On Monday the bottom third of the lineup came up aces.

No. 7 hitter Bransen Cosgrove (1-2 and walk), No. 8 Ryan Johnson (1-3) and No. 9 Isaac Turbarg (2-2 and walk) combined to reach base six times in nine plate appearances. Cosgrove got the scoring started in the second lacing a bullet just inside the line in left for an RBI double. Turbarg made it 2-0 with a bloop single to right.

Brown left runners in scoring position three of the first four innings. He issued a leadoff walk in the fifth and his pitch count was moving rather high at that point. Two pitches later he was back in the dugout courtesy of a 4-6-3 double play and fly to right.

His teammates appreciated it striking for two runs in the bottom of five with two outs to hike the lead to 4-0. A single by Matt Masciangelo was followed by a two-run homer by the Sentinels' post-season closer at the plate -- Mike Kenney. Kenney launched a two-run homer to center. His three-run homer in the sixth inning last Saturday put distance between his team and Marcos de Niza helping turn a 4-3 lead to an 8-3 final.

Kenney finished Monday 3 for 4 by capping the Sentinels' scoring with a three-run double in the sixth. The 5-RBI game combined with the victory over Marcos give Kenney 9 RBI in two postseason games.

"He (Kenney) is a football-baseball kid," Stephenson said. "I love him. One of the biggest competitors I've coached. He plays anywhere Outfield, he's caught and he pitches."

St. Mary's finished with only four hits. The last one was a pinch-hit, two-run double in the seventh by Aidan Sanford.

 

 

 

 

#3 Seton (25-1) vs. #14 St. Mary's (19-10)