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Kellenberg Reaches Catholic League Championship Series with 3-2 Win Over St. Dominic

by Trevor Dugan

The stars led the way for defending NSCHSAA champion Kellenberg on Monday, as they defeated St. Dominic, 3-2, to reach their second consecutive Catholic league championship series.

Kellenberg senior starting pitcher and Queens College-commit Chris Parisi earned a complete game victory, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five.

St. Dominic had a college-bound pitcher of their own going Monday. Hofstra-commit Connor Ackerman went the distance for the Bayhawks, allowing three runs over six innings, but took the loss as he was outdueled by Parisi. 

Both pitchers kept the scoreboard clean until Kellenberg broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning. Kellenburg third baseman Andrew Noe, a St. John’s commit, drew a walk and came around to score on an RBI single by senior shortstop and Adelphi-commit Richie LaVacca, putting the Firebirds on top 1-0.

Parisi followed LaVacca’s RBI with a shutdown top of the fourth inning. He continued cruising through the top of the fifth, retiring the side in order and showing no signs of unease despite Kellenberg’s slim lead. 

Kellenberg widened that lead in the bottom of the fifth when senior first baseman Jaden Valdez, another Adelphi-commit, drove home two runners with an RBI single to left field to stretch the Firehawks’ lead to 3-0. Valdez’s single proved to be the difference in Kellenberg’s 3-2 win, and his coaching staff was quick to give him credit after the game.

“Jaden has made himself into such a good ball player, he’s a 6:00 A.M weight room guy every day for the last few years.” Kellenberg head coach Pat Miles said of Valdez. “He’s become a legit threat through his own hard work, and we couldn’t be more proud of him. If every player was like him, we’d be in really good shape every year.” 

“What you don’t see in the box score is his defense at first base,” Kellenberg assistant coach Derek Foder added. “He’s saved so many runs over the course of the year and picked players up with his picks, so everyone sees the offensive numbers but his defense is up there with anybody.” 

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St. Dominic finally got to Parisi in the top of the sixth, scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Ackerman to cut the Kellenberg lead to just 3-2. Ackerman then tossed a much needed 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth to bring the Bayhawks right back to the plate chasing one run. 

Parisi found himself in trouble once again in the top of the seventh as St. Dominic senior third baseman Christian Moreno led the inning off with a single and was immediately moved over to second base on a pinch hit sacrifice bunt by junior Christos Vangelatos.

With the tying run in scoring position and a trip to the NSCHSAA championship series on the line, Parisi bore down and struck out two straight batters to finish off his complete game and earn Kellenberg a 3-2 victory.

“Chris has been a guy that we can rely on in big situations time after time,” coach Miles said after the win. “He just gets better as the season goes on, too. He started and won us the championship last year, and how he just got us there again.”

Despite the loss, St. Dominic is still alive in the Catholic league playoffs. The Bayhawks will host the winner of Tuesday afternoon’s matchup between Chaminade and St. Anthony’s on Wednesday, May 19, for an elimination game to determine who will face Kellenberg in the NSCHSAA championship series. 

Kellenberg awaits the outcome of those matchups, and will begin the championship series Saturday, May 23 at Hofstra University.