by Trevor Dugan
SP Jacob Vaccariello finishes off a mercy rule victory for Saint Anthony’s with an RBI single
FINAL (5): Saint Anthony’s 13 – Holy Trinity 2
WP: Jacob Vaccariello 5.0 IP 2 ER 10 Ks, 2-4, 3 RBI
CJ Alfano: 1-2, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
Dean Roche: 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 R
Anthony… pic.twitter.com/7l24cmOFih— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 17, 2026
St. Anthony’s needed just five innings Friday to defeat Holy Trinity, 13-2, and secure their second series victory of 2026.
Senior Jacob Vaccariello led the way in the Friars’ run-rule victory, driving in three runs on a pair of RBI singles and striking out 10 batters over five stellar innings to earn the win on the mound.
The Stony Brook-commit Vaccariello is one of three Division-I bound pitchers on the St. Anthony’s staff, with West Virginia-commit Luke Coats and Iona-commit Mario Lazzinaro rounding out the starting rotation. Friars head coach Paul Parsolano spoke about the importance of his talented arms after Friday’s win.
“The last few games our starting pitching hasn’t been able to get out of the second inning, today they did, Jacob had a very good performance, “Parsolano said. “That’s a difference for us, we have a lot of high-end pitchers that have to perform to their expectations. If those dudes do what they’re supposed to, we’ll be competitive. If not, we’ll struggle.”
The game’s first run came in the top of the second when first baseman Dom Longardino launched a solo home run to put Holy Trinity on top 1-0. The Titans’ lead did not make it out of the second inning however, as the Friars tied things up on an RBI double by outfielder Dean Roche in the bottom half of the frame.
The sophomore Roche finished the day 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
“He really showed a lot of growth tonight,” St. Anthony’s assistant coach Greg Naccari said of Roche. “He’s buying into what we’re trying to teach him as a staff, and it’s paying off.”
In the bottom of the third, the Friars would bat around and score eight runs to take a commanding 9-1 lead. Vaccariello got the rally started with an RBI single to put St. Anthony’s ahead, then scored on a two-run single by Sebastian Castiello. Next, Roche added his second RBI hit of the day to make it 5-1 Friars.
West Virginia commit CJ Alfano caps off an eight run third inning for Saint Anthony’s with an opposite field three run home run!
Saint Anthony’s 9 – Holy Trinity 1
End third pic.twitter.com/R450QSUNEk— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 17, 2026
The huge inning was capped off by a towering, opposite field three-run home run by West Virginia commit and Friars’ leadoff man CJ Alfano, putting St. Anthony’s up by eight. Alfano has 12 hits so far in 2026, six of which are home runs.
“We don’t really expect anything less at this point,” St. Anthony’s SP Vaccariello said of Alfano. “The kid is just different, seems like he can just do that at will, and he does, really often.”
Vaccariello allowed one more run in the top of the fourth, when fellow Stony Brook-commit Jalen Josey scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-2 Friars. The St. Anthony’s senior finished off his abbreviated complete game by striking out three batters in the top of the fifth, shouting and pumping his fist with excitement as he headed back to the dugout.
The Friars finished off their mercy rule victory by scoring four more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Second baseman Anthony Sanchez pushed Holy Trinity to the brink with a two-run double, his third hit of the day, to make it 11-2. Vaciarello ended it with a two-run single, securing a 13-2 win for St. Anthony’s.
The junior Sanchez finished the day 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Over the three game series, he batted 6-11. Coach Naccari praised the infielder for making the most of his opportunity after not playing much over the first few weeks of the season.
“Anthony Sanchez had been kind of riding the bench for the first couple of series,” Naccari said. “but we inserted him this week and he’s exceeded expectations. He’s a competitive, confident kid.”
After earning the win on the mound and driving in three runs at the plate, including the game winning run, Vaccariello was named GameChanger player of the game.
Now 5-4 on the year, St. Anthony’s returns to action Saturday April 18 at home against John F. Kennedy Catholic.
Holy Trinity falls to 8-3 with the loss. They will play again Tuesday April 21 at Kellenberg Memorial.