Connor Meehan wasn’t expecting to start Wednesday afternoon, not after blowing a three-run lead in a non-conference game against McKee/Staten Island Tech in his last appearance.
But Monsignor Farrell coach Bob Mulligan woke up with a hunch and played it. And Meehan repaid his coach with a complete-game, four-hitter in a 7-1 win against Xavier at the College of Staten Island.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to have confidence in me, but when he said I’ve got the ball today, I knew I had to prove [it to] him,” Meehan said.
The senior left-hander did that in a big way. He struck out six without a walk and two of the four hits he gave up never left the infield. Mulligan was hoping for a solid start from Meehan and had Mike DiGiorgio ready in the bullpen.
But that call was never made as Meehan’s complete game was “certainly a pleasant surprise,” Mulligan said.
“He was getting ahead, spotting his fastball, dropping his curve and throwing his chance down and away on righties,” Mulligan said. “His game is just throwing strikes, getting ahead and keeping the ball down and if he does that, he’s going to have some success.”
The Lions, ranked No. 3 in the CHSAA by The Post, had plenty of success off Xavier ace Nick DiLeo with four runs on four hits in the first inning, chasing the junior left-hander, who complained of pain in his arm, after just one inning.
Jordan Stark, who went 3-for-4, had a two-run double to center and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Joe Venturino also had an RBI-single, driving home Nick Thorgersen as Farrell had four first-inning steals.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Mulligan said of Stark. “He hits the ball very hard when he gets a hold of it. He’s just been everything we hoped for. He’s been a big hitter for us, right from the very beginning. He’s locked in right now.”
Stark, who bats third, also drove in Mike Viegas (2-for-4, two runs scored) with a double to left in the second to give Farrell (6-0) a 5-0 lead.
“I’m seeing it there, I’m feeling good,” Stark said. “I’m hitting well these last couple of games and hopefully it continues. It’s important. I’m in that spot so there’s a lot of responsibility for me.”
Like Meehan’s outing, Monsignor Farrell’s start of the season has been a bit of a surprise. Mulligan was concerned about his team in the preseason and didn’t get a good feel until the final game of the Lions trip to Florida.
And yet, the Lions came out roaring to start the season, beating rival St. Joseph by the Sea and No. 2 Xavier (3-2), two teams that competed for the CHSAA Class AA intersectional title last year, en route to an unexpected perfect start.
“It’s incredible. No one thought it, our coach didn’t even think it,” Meehan said. “I knew once everyone started hitting we’d start jelling together. I’ve played with most of these guys all my life and I know they can hit. I knew we were just struggling in the preseason and everyone started firing on all cylinders.”
