MIDDLETON — Behind a stellar postseason debut by Eric Diffily, No. 6 North Reading defeated No. 3 North Shore Tech 3-1 in the Division 3 North quarterfinals yesterday.
The Hornets advance to face No. 10 Georgetown in the semifinals tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Fraser Field in Lynn.
In his first tournament start, Diffily, a junior, allowed four hits, struck out three, walked three and did not allow an earned run in a complete-game effort. He was also able to pitch his way out of a few tough spots.
"He got himself in and got himself out of jams," said North Reading head coach Frank Carey. "He was jacked up and started to overthrow the ball a bit. I don't usually go out to the mound, but I wanted to tell him to shorten his stride. Sometimes pitchers get excited, especially since it was his first tournament game"
Carey called a mound visit after Diffily walked right fielder Shane Bennett to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth.
"I kept throwing high," said Diffily. "Coach came out to calm me down."
After the mound visit, Diffily delivered three straight strikes to down center fielder Chris Wheeler and retire the side unscathed.
He was helped by stellar defense, led by first baseman and co-captain Kevin Singer, who also scored a run in the sixth.
"The defense was amazing, and (Singer) is always outstanding," said Diffily. "He's an All-Star."
The Hornets used small ball to generate runs. They stole three bases and employed numerous sacrifice bunts to move the runners into scoring position.
"That's how we play," said Diffily. "Our game is small ball."
Bobby Rosano drove in one of North Reading's runs, scoring Nick Rosano with a double in the second.
Nick Rosano also had an RBI, plating Singer in the sixth with a single. Matt DiVecchia doubled and scored on an error in the first.
The Bulldogs kept the game close, but couldn't capitalize on Diffily.
"They were a good team," said Diffily. "They had a good record."
The Hornets now look ahead to the Royals. North Reading lost its only regular season contest against Georgetown, 6-5, on May 9. The Royals downed No. 2 Weston yesterday.
"We're excited," said Diffily. "We feel confident going into the next round."
North Reading 3, North Shore 1
North Reading (3): Hartwell cf 4-0-1, Barretto 2b 3-0-0, DiVecchia 3b 2-1-1, Singer 1b 3-1-1, Cady dh 4-0-0, N. Rosano c 4-1-2, Calos lf 3-0-0, Vacca rf 3-0-1, B. Rosano ss 3-0-1. Totals 29-3-7
North Shore Tech (1): White dh 4-0-0, D'Ambrosio 2b 3-0-0, Frazier c 3-0-0, Mahan 3b 2-1-1, St. Pierre ss 2-0-0, Newman 1b 3-0-1, Rainville p 3-0-1, Bennett rf 1-0-1, Wheeler cf 3-0-0, Fletcher dh 0-0-0. Totals 24-1-4
RBI: NR — B. Rosano, N. Rosano
WP: Eric Diffily, LP: Andrew Rainville
North Reading (16-6):1âÇ1âÇ0âÇ0âÇ0âÇ1âÇ0 — 3
North Shore Tech (15-5):0âÇ1âÇ0âÇ0âÇ0âÇ0âÇ0 — 1
Kelli Johnson 1-on-1 with John Thompson III -2/13
Alexander Semin finds back of net versus Rangers-2/12
The Sixers are not taking anyone lightly
Spring training is right around the corner
Moving day: Phils' gear en route to Clearwater
Will the Flyers make a move at the trade deadline?
Stoglin's frustrations boil over following Duke loss-2/12
Timonen "disappointed" in teammates' effort
Morganti: 'Rangers' power play demolished the Flyers'
Timonen: 'I think we got half the guys going and half the guys not'
More shootout woes in store for the Flyers when they face the Red Wings?
The Rangers have the Flyers' number
St. Joseph's vs. Massachusetts Highlights - 2/11
Penn vs. Dartmouth Highlights - 2/11
Drexel vs. Hofstra Highlights - 2/11
La Salle vs. St. Louis Highlights - 2/11
John Wall talks about the loss to the Heat-2/10
Collins takes the blame for the Sixers' final possession
Sixers vs. Clippers highlights
Sixers defensive effort not enough vs. Clippers
Julien: 'did it the hard way'
McAdam's Spring Training primer
Doc: Team's effort is 'un-Celtic'
Pierce stresses mental toughness
Globe 10.0 Who was the best free agent in Boston?
Maria Menounos dons a Giants-colored bikini after losing Super Bowl bet-2/7
Thomas' moratorium: 'I'm out, peace'
Gasol: 'Not pleasant' being part of trade rumor
Blakely: Gasol-for-Rondo trade unlikely
Brady-ing is Latest Internet Meme
Globe 10.0: Is Paul Pierce the Celtics greatest scorer?
Ranking Pierce among Celtics greats
Garnett's tale of first meeting Paul Pierce
Pierce's loyalty touted after big night
Hurt Locker: Patriots react to Super Bowl loss
Brown: 'Eli Manning is better than Tom Brady'
Local fans crushed by Patriots loss in Super Bowl XLVI
Marcus Johansson Caps lone goal in loss to Bruins-2/5
Matt Hendricks throws down with the Bruins' Adam McQuaid--2/5
Vinatieri, Law, Brown recount Super Bowl XXXVI
