By Dylan Butler
But for a second straight year, McClancy suffered a heartbreaking loss in the first round of the Class A playoffs. A season that was filled with such optimism ended painfully early for the Crusaders, which dropped a 4-3 decision to LaSalle Monday at McClancy.A year ago, McClancy lost at Stepinac, 8-7.”We thought about that (game) too, about how tough it was to Stepinac,” Guarrasi said. “We thought being here for four years, we'd know to play here better than them. Not today.LaSalle, which was the home team because they don't have a home field, won the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on Joel Duverge's single to left field that scored pinch runner Ed Alfonso.Guarrasi was solid, striking out 11 and scattering five hits through six innings. He opened the seventh inning by fanning Rathelky Gonzalez, who got the win in relief for LaSalle (9-10), but then catcher Fred Goris laced a ground-rule double to right field.With first base open, Guarrasi intentionally walked Andrew Varela and got in front of Duverge 0-2. But Duverge took Guarrasi's third straight fastball over the head of left fielder Jeff Tavares to end the game.”I was looking fastball the whole at-bat, a little in (were) the first two pitches but my brother told me to put my hands back a little bit sooner and that's what I did,” said Duverge, who will play at the University of Massachusetts next year. “I just hit it, I hit it pretty far.”LaSalle jumped in front 1-0 thanks to a two-base error by McClancy centerfielder Matt McDevitt. But McClancy (10-9) answered back in the third on Guarrasi's two-run single to left.The Crusaders lead, though, was short-lived as LaSalle scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third on a Goris home run and an RBI-double by Duverge.LaSalle held a 3-2 lead until Bob Gortvetzian led off the sixth inning with a solo home run to right-center field.”We didn't hit enough, it's been our problem a lot,” said McClancy coach Nick Melito. “Today it came back to really hurt us.”Holy Cross 4, Mount St. Michael 3. Kyle Thomas allowed three hits in 5.1 innings and Eric Johnson had four strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief to pick up the win for Holy Cross (15-8) in a first round playoff game at Adelphi Monday. George Carroll had a pair of hits for Holy Cross, which takes on St. Raymond's in a best-of-three series starting Thursday.Archbishop Molloy 4, Fordham Prep 3. Andrew Kapela had the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh inning, Anthony Carnacchio went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and Sandy Sussman struck out six in the complete game win for Molloy (12-11), which plays Monsignor Farrell in a best-of-three series starting Thursday.Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
