Baseball: Marist blanks Sandburg

Updated: April 2, 2012 8:31PM

Marist pitcher John McKevitt was a little more pumped up than usual for Monday’s game against No. 6 Sandburg.

The senior right-hander is quite familiar with many of the Eagles, having grown up in Orland Park.

McKevitt put on quite a show, firing a complete-game three-hitter to lead Marist to a 4-0 win in Orland Park. It was Marist’s third consecutive shutout, having blanked Richards 11-0 on Friday and St. Rita 6-0 on Saturday.

McKevitt walked three and struck out three during a 77-pitch performance. He consistently jumped ahead in the count and was the beneficiary of an air-tight defense that turned two nifty double plays.

“This is a hometown win for me,” McKevitt said. “I know pretty much all of their players. Sandburg is always a great team.”

McKevitt made the Eagles look awfully ordinary on this day. Austin Cangelosi, Zach Reks and Alec Nelson were the only regulars to record hits for Sandburg (3-2-1).

“Their pitcher kept us off balance,” Sandburg coach Jim Morsovillo said. “He pitched a good game, but we were letting fastballs go by early. Our approach at the plate wasn’t very good.”

Ryan Meyer’s approach was very good in the fifth inning. The senior hammered a first-pitch fastball from left-hander Matt Farrington for a two-run homer. The long poke drove in Marty Mehalek, who walked, to extend the RedHawks lead to 4-0.

“With a runner on second, I was just trying to get a hit,” said Meyer, of Evergreen Park. “I got a first-pitch fastball and jumped on it.”

Jim Carroll, another Orland Park resident, had a big day at the plate for Marist (7-2) going 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly. His deep flyout to center field scored McKevitt (double) for a 2-0 advantage.

“McKevitt works fast and our kids like that,” Marist coach Tom Fabrizio said. “When he throws strikes, he’s tough to beat, and we picked it up behind him today.”

Farrington took the loss, allowing four runs and walking one while fanning two. He also hit three over his six innings.

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