Varsity Baseball: Villa Novans Defeat Johnston, 5-4

Johnston cut into a five-run deficit with a late-game rally on May 6, but Woonsocket held on to defeat the previously unbeaten Panthers, 5-4.

Brandon Perrico pitched a complete game and tacked on three RBI to help WHS improve to 6-0 at this season. The close match-up ended with a call against JHS for an illegal slide.

“[Perrico] really was outstanding. We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” said Johnston head coach Stephen DeMeo.

The Panthers and Villa Novans went toe-to-toe for seven innings in April, and after DeMeo’s boys emerged with a 2-1 victory, they proceeded to reel off nine straight wins, outscoring opponents, 114-25.

“They’re a very good team,” said Woonsocket head coach John Marsella. “We knew after that this would be the team we’d have to beat.”

Perrico shut down the high-powered Panthers in the first inning Friday and got Woonsocket’s offense going in the second, driving in a run with a triple, then scoring on William Andino’s base hit to left.

Joshua Houle added a RBI-single in the third, and Perrico knocked in two more with a double to left field.

The lefty returned to the mound with a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning, but after catcher Ryan Geraghty drew a walk, right-fielder Gregory Doutre put Johnston on the board with a two-run blast to center field.

“There was a stretch where Ryan walked, like, nine times in a row at the beginning of the year. Guys weren’t pitching to him,” DeMeo said. “Then, Greg comes up, and then they figure that they made a mistake by not pitching to Ryan.”

Perrico blanked the Panthers in the fifth and sixth innings, but with one down in the seventh and runners on the corners, sophomore Steven Perfetto doubled to drive in one, and junior Christopher Pistacchio put the ball in play to produce another run for Johnston.

Bianchi stepped in next for JHS and hit a bouncer toward infielder Cody L’Heureux. The sophomore gobbled up the grounder and moved toward second base, hoping to retire Pistacchio and throw on to first for the third out.

L’Heureux tagged the bag, but he couldn’t complete the play because, in the umpire’s opinion, Pistacchio slid illegally, obstructing L’Heureux. Bianchi was called out, and the game ended.

“[The umpire] said that it was an illegal slide, that he came in standing up. I thought it was a good baseball slide. His opinion counts more than mine,” DeMeo said.

The loss leaves Johnston at 10-1 in league play. The Panthers will return to Tuesday, May 10 for a meeting with Davies Vocational (0-11). Woonsocket will host Ponaganset on Monday, May 9.

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