Barry, St. Monica Academy baseball shut down Providence
BURBANK — Beau Barry knew he had something special going, yet tried to block it out.
The St. Monica Academy baseball pitcher stood on the mound in control and had done an exceptional job mowing down Providence’s lineup.
Barry carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth before yielding a clean single to left by Michael Sheehy.
That ended the dramatics, though as St. Monica Academy cruised to a 10-0 six-inning nonleague win at Foy Park on Thursday over Providence.
“I wanted it real bad, but I just missed it,” said Barry, who struck out eight. “You don’t try to think about it, though it’s in the back of your mind.
“I went out there and was able to hit my spots and I feel like things are coming around for me now. I’ve worked with [St. Monica coach Phil Gleason] on my mechanics and just trying to stay more relaxed. I felt like this was my best effort this season.”
St. Monica (4-3) scored seven runs in the top of the sixth to pull away. The Crusaders, who won the Independence League’s Liberty Conference championship last season, sent 13 batters to the plate and were up for almost 30 minutes.
“I just like the way Beau goes out there and performs,” Gleason said. “He’s a great kid and has a sold work ethic. Those are the kind of things you like to see.
“He went out there tonight and battled hard and he’s making improvements out there. He just missed the no-hitter, but there are a lot of good times ahead for him. He’s our catalyst.”
Providence first-year coach Gary Borg said the Pioneers, who finished second in the Liberty League last season, continue to develop.
“It’s just a process and we’re looking to make strides,” Borg said. “We’re young and we’re experiencing some growing pains right now.
“We’ll just continue to keep working hard and keep improving. We need to fix a few things. Our defense is suspect right now.”
The Crusaders scored three runs in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. Nick Nieva scored on a wild pitch, Paul Lessard followed with a run-scoring double and Mark Golbranson (four hits) registered an RBI single.
St. Monica sealed the victory with a huge sixth, which included seven hits.
Tommy Golbranson gave St. Monica a 4-0 lead with a run-scoring single. Charlie Boles drove in two and Ernie Grimm and Nieva added run-scoring singles later in the inning to wrap up the scoring.
“We put together some good quality at-bats in the sixth,” Gleason said. “That’s a real good sign. I think we are right about where we want to be with league play coming up.”
St. Monica received two hits each from Boles and Lessard.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
