Xavier scored 30 combined runs in back-to-back blowout wins, but that was without Sean Meekins on the mound.
The lanky senior right-hander hasn’t exactly gotten much run support this year.
In his last three starts – all losses – the Knights scored a combined one run and things didn’t change much Monday at Randall’s Island when a scoreless game went into the seventh inning.
“I thought it was déjà vu,” Meekins said. “I was a little worried. I was thinking of going another inning.”
Thanks to speedy Michael Sansevere, Meekins didn’t need to work overtime. The pinch runner scored the lone run on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh to lift Xavier to a crucial 1-0 win against division foe Cardinal Hayes.
That’s now three straight wins for Xavier after losing six of its previous seven. And it was the Knights first one-run win of the season after going 0-for-3 previously.
“It seemed like last year we were always winning the one-run games,” Meekins said. “That was a difference between last year’s team and this year’s team. Now, we’re starting to be last year’s team, which is good. We’re back where we are last year, but we just have to keep winning.”
Last year, Meekins was a closer on a Xavier squad that fell just short in its hopes of winning it’s first-ever Class AA intersectional title, losing to St. Joseph by the Sea in the final.
The goal for Xavier (7-6) is to get back there again and the Knights, which moved into a second-place tie with surging Regis in Bronx/Manhattan, are starting to put some wins together at the perfect time.
Unlike mercy-rule shortened wins against St. Raymond and Salesian, runs were at a premium Monday against Cardinal Hayes and lefty Chris Pena, who struck out six, walked one and scattered four hits in seven innings.
One of those hits, though, was an infield single by David Eschen to lead off the seventh. As he did when catcher Nick Aguilera twice reached safely, Xavier coach Rich Duffell called on Sansevere to pinch run.
“He’s my fastest guy when he’s aggressive,” Duffell said. “He wasn’t taking enough of a lead. I told him, ‘I know you’re nervous about the lead because he’s a lefty, but go on his first move. When he moves, you go.’”
That’s just what Sansevere did. As Perez attempted a pickoff at first, Sansevere raced to second, beating Gabe DeJesus’ throw from first. Matt Drucker, who doubled in the fourth inning but was called out for batter’s interference, laid down a perfect bunt to move Sansevere to third.
And when Perez uncorked his only wild pitch of the game, Sansevere pounced for the game’s lone run.
“I’ve done it enough the last two years to realize that once I saw it past him and saw [the catcher] turning back, it’s a small backstop but it’s not really bouncing back, so I just took off,” Sansevere said. “It was nice, especially for Meekins. We’ve been struggling to score runs for him.”
That’s an understatement. Meekins has pitched well, but lost to St. Raymond 2-1 and Regis, 1-0 in nine innings with an 11-0 loss to All Hallows sandwiched between.
Against Cardinal Hayes (5-7), Meekins tossed a complete-game, three-hitter, striking out nine with just one walk in a masterful performance.
“He just went after them,” Duffell said of Meekins. “He wasn’t really throwing any junk later on. He was just throwing fastballs. Normally he really uses his changeup, but it wasn’t that great today so he just went with his fastball. He did the job.”
