ESPN

WESTWOOD, Mass. -- As St. John's Prep ace Brandon Bingel spoke to reporters after the Eagles' 7-3 victory over Xaverian, an assistant coach tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Don't worry Mr. Catholic [Conference] MVP, I've got your bag.”

The senior righty picked up the win for Prep (12-1), and also scored a run and had an RBI on the afternoon. Bingel said the Eagles were looking for a little revenge –- Xaverian (5-7) beat Prep 6-5 on April 4 for its only loss of the season.

“I think we woke up a little. Last time, it was one of our first games, and they kind of out-powered us,” Bingel said. “We came out today, and we were ready. We wanted revenge on them since they were our only loss, so we came ready.”

The Eagles didn't waste any time getting after Xaverian starter Worth Walrod. Prep senior Nick Bragole hit a first-inning home run to left field during the second at-bat of the afternoon. Paul Crehan, one of the Eagles' most-feared hitters, hit a two-run single in the third.

Despite going to the bullpen early in the fourth inning, Xaverian pitchers gave up a run an inning for the rest of the game.

“That's a pretty relentless attack, and they got it done today,” said Xaverian head coach Gerry Lambert. “We did a good job minimizing, but they just kept coming at us, and that's a sign of a really good team that's playing really well. They're both of those things. They're a really good team, and they're playing really well.”

The Hawks scored three runs off Bingel in the bottom of the sixth, capped off by a Ricky Smith two-run home run, but they were unable to carry the momentum. Prep reliever Jack Burke came in with two outs and retired four straight Xaverian batters with three groundouts and a strikeout.

“He's been really good all year. I think he's only allowed one baserunner in eight or nine innings,” said Prep head coach Pat Yanchus.

High and Dry: Xaverian had a number of chances to cut into Prep's lead, but time and time again left runners on base. During the bottom of the fifth inning, Adam Chochrek was on first, and Smith was on second with no outs. Bingel proceeded to strike out both Tyler Wolfe and Aidan Desrosiers before forcing Connor Longley to groundout to second.

A similar situation happened in the third, but Aaron Drummey hit into a double play to end the inning.

“One of the things we are fighting right now is that we're having a tough time getting a big hit in a big spot. Sometimes you go through that as a team, and rarely is that only a one-game thing,” Lambert said.

Prep's skipper praised Bingel for working his way out of a number of jams.

“He usually settles down, and I think he did today,” he said. “During a few innings they had guys on first and second with no outs, and almost always that's at least a run. He worked out of a couple of them.”

Back to Front: Bingel had a tough outing during Prep's 6-5 win over B.C. High on April 24, giving up three runs on three singles and a couple of infield errors during the first inning. Since then he's been trying to lead with his off-speed pitches before dishing out a fastball.

“I started to pitch backwards earlier,” he said. “Against B.C. High I was throwing too many fastballs early, and they capitalized. Early in the game (against Xaverian), I threw more sliders –- more backdoor sliders -– and kind of surprised them with my fastball more.”

When Bingel gave up the two-run home run to Smith in the sixth, he got away from pitching backwards and left a 1-0 fastball up at the letters. He indicated that he still wants to use the fastball when there are men on base.

“I wasn't going to throw a slider because they had a lot of baserunners, so I wanted to pound the zone as much as I could, and he capitalized on it,” he said.

Best in Show: While Prep is the No. 1 team in the state and currently sits alone atop the Catholic Conference, Lambert isn't ready to say they're far and away the best team. Right now, he thinks little separates Prep from B.C. High, who Xaverian lost to, 3-1, on Monday.

“(Prep) is a better athletic team, top to bottom. That doesn't mean that they're the best team, but they put a lot of pressure on you,” he said. “It looked like they had seven guys on their team that can run the bases, and that's a lot for a high school team. I think you have to give them the edge by a whisker.”

Keeping them Grounded: While Prep may have a closer in Dustin Hunt, Burke may be one of the more reliable relief pitchers on the roster. The senior has allowed only one baserunner this season and consistently keeps the ball low in the strike zone to draw grounders.

“Whenever I get in, I just go and throw my pitches. We have a lot of pitchers, so whenever you can get in you just need to do your job,” Burke said. “I used my fastball and curveball and tried to mix it up as much as I can. I try to keep the ball low – that always helps. I was just hitting my spots, and the fielders were doing the rest.”

Bingel likes having Burke as a late-inning guy. He said it takes some pressure off when he leaves the game.

“I'm pumped when Jack comes in. His ball moves so much that all they do is hit ground balls,” he said.

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- It was the perfect time for a milestone.

As Bridgewater-Raynham captain and forward Anthony Hardy slid the puck from the blue line toward the open Coyle-Cassidy net, the Trojans could finally breathe a sigh of relief. While tallying his 21st goal of the season and his second of the night, Hardy not only netted an empty-net goal capping off B-R’s 3-1 win Wednesday at the Bridgewater Ice Arena, it also tied the program record for goals in a season.

The Trojans advance to face Marshfield in the championship game of the South of Boston Shootout, giving Hardy one more chance to break the record. But he was simply happy to come away with a win.

“They’re a huge rival,” Hardy said. “When we see them on the schedule, we want to go out and get it.”

Neither team could find the back of the net in a tightly checked first period. However, B-R (13-4-1) got things started quickly in the second period, when 48 seconds in Pat McNamara’s blast from the blue line found its way through a crowd and past Warriors netminder Seth Lavigne (25 saves).

C-C (9-8-2) countered less than two minutes later with Nick Cambria burying a wrister assisted by Mike Jessman and Ryan Jones.

The momentum shifted back once again in the Trojans’ favor as Hardy scored his first of the game with assists from Ted Buckley and Adam McGrath.

“Buckley hit it out front and the goalie wasn’t in position,” Hardy said, “it came out to me and I just shot it.”

The Warriors comeback fell short in the third period, partially because they spent a good portion of the period short-handed. C-C had three successful penalty kills in the period, but the Warriors were unable to beat Trojans goaltender Craig Pantano, who finished with 18 saves.

“We’ve got to get a rabbit’s foot in our pocket at some point,” Warriors head coach Dave Borges said. “We’re getting shots to the net, but not getting them through. We’re having a difficult time finishing.

“We need to get those mucking goals. We need more plumbers out there.”

CONNORS IS MR. 100 FOR MARSHFIELD


Hardy wasn’t the only player setting records during the second day of the Shootout.

No. 21 Marsfield advanced to the championship game, beating 17th-ranked Xaverian, 4-2, thanks to a hat trick from senior forward Ryan Connors. While posting a four-point game, Connors also eclipsed the 100-point plateau for his high school career — although he was unaware of the milestone.

“Coach [Dan Connolly] came in, gave me the puck and said it was my hundredth,” Connors said.

Despite having no prior knowledge that he was on the cusp of the century mark, Connors left his imprint on the game.

Marshfield (13-3-5) went to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead Connors’ on first goal of the game.

The Hawks (9-8-2) tied the game, 1-1, on Joe Bina’s second-period goal. The puck deflected of a Rams defender’s skate into the net with assists from Ryan Hall and Ricky Smith.

Chris Perry restored Marshfield’s lead 6:46 into the second period on a goal assisted by Connors and Matt Entwhistle. The Hawks returned serve to tie the game once more, 2-2, on Billy Hildebrand’s tally.

Then, it was time again for Connors to take the center stage. He potted the game-winner 5:17 into the third period, gathering a loose rebound in the slot and burying into the open net. Matt Burchill and Chris Perry each picked up their second assists of the game on the play.

Connors completed the hat trick, netting an empty-netter with 30 seconds remaining.

“The last time, they tied us with a minute and 35 seconds left,” Connors said, “so it felt good to beat them.”

Rams head coach Dan Connolly found more to like in Connors’ play.

“He’s really starting to find the back of the net for us, which is good,” Connolly said. “He’s a good offensive player He’s got great speed and he showed that tonight on our second goal.”

PANTHERS READY TO POUNCE


Late-season tournaments, like the South of Boston, provide teams a final tune-up before postseason play.

If Franklin’s play during the Shootout has been any indication, they could be a very tough out in Division 2 South come March. The Panthers challenged Xaverian in a physical battle before falling, 2-1, to the Hawks on Monday. They followed up that performance with a 3-2 win over Old Colony League champion Barnstable (12-3-4).

“It’s our third year coming down here and it’s because of the competition,” Franklin head coach Chris Spillane said.

There are still a couple things Spillane would like to see the Panthers (13-4-2) tighten up in their final regular-season tilt against Oliver Ames on Thursday.

“We had a little let down tonight and I think both teams were a little bit off their games,” Spillane added. “We were just lucky to get a couple bounces and come out with the win.”

The meeting will be the third time the Hockomock League rivals have met.

Oliver Ames (8-8-4) punched their ticket to the Division 2 South tournament with a 4-3 win over St. Peter Marian in the early action on Wednesday.