There was no stress to worry about. The only thing Tyler Cattoggio had to focus on Tuesday night was playing the game he loved.
The Bridgewater-Raynham senior launched a two-run homer in the fourth inning, helping the South All-Stars win the 47th Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game with a 3-0 blanking of the North at Boston College High School.
“I think it’s great getting to show everybody what we can do individually and as a team,” Cattoggio said afterward. “Obviously, they produced. I’ll miss playing with them a lot.”
With some of the top pitchers in the Commonwealth taking part, runs were hard to come by, as one could expect. Cattogio’s blast in the fourth cleared the Monan Park monster in left, striking the field house just beyond its outer reaches to help seal the deal. He was later selected as the showcase’s Most Valuable Player. His Bridgewater-Raynham teammate Quinlan Keefe accounted for the South’s final run, lacing an RBI single to right in the top of the fifth to extend things to 3-0.
“I was thinking about driving it up the middle,” Cattoggio said. “But he left the fastball inside. So, I knew to just take my hands inside, and everything else worked out.”
From there, the South cruised on the mound. Plymouth South standout Colin Ducie was selected as the MBCA’s Pitcher of the Game, tossing two scoreless innings to go with one hit while striking out five.
“Everything (was clicking),” Ducie said. “I was confident in all of my pitches. I used that to my advantage, and kept them off with timing.”
Tyler Ross of John Paul II had a great outing for the South, finishing with two scoreless innings of work while allowing one hit to go with three strikeouts.
James Willett of St. John’s Prep had a pair of hits to pace the North offensively.
The South had a series of coaches from Plymouth North representing following an impressive season. Connor Pratt believes that the MBCA All-Star showcases only add to baseball’s spotlight here in the Bay State.
“I think it’s a tradition that should keep going,” Pratt said after. “I told Coach (Frank) Carey on the way up that we have to do this one forever. I think for the seniors, they love it. It’s their finish. And then it’s just a great representation of the whole state. You’re getting all the different regions, all the different leagues playing together, and it’s so awesome. Coach (Steve) Healy is such a great host for this. This field’s awesome, and it’s a great location for the game.”
