Mila Fiordalisi strikes out 12 in three-hit shutout for St. Anthony's over Morris Catholic
St. Anthony's starting pitcher Mila Fiordalisi delivers a pitch against Morris Catholic in a CHSAA softball game Tuesday at St. Anthony's. Credit: George A Faella
Even against another state champion, Mila Fiordalisi doesn’t need much run support.
The junior twirled a three-hit shutout against reigning New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B champion Morris Catholic, striking out 12 batters in St. Anthony’s 2-0 win Tuesday in South Huntington.
The Friars took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and Fiordalisi held it through the sixth.
“After the fifth, we told her if we don’t score another run, she’s got to bring it home,” coach Mike Massa said.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ava Vandernoth drove in Jenna Bielski with a sacrifice fly to rightfield to give Fiordalisi more breathing room. But she would have been just fine without it.
Fiordalisi allowed a leadoff single in the seventh but got a pop-up before needing just six pitches to strike out the final two batters.
“I rely more on my screwball, so it runs away from lefties and I had more gas on it than usual today,” Fiordalisi said. “I was getting a lot of girls to chase that and my riseball.”
In the bottom of the first, Bella Cruz hit a leadoff single and immediately used her speed to steal second base. Two batters later, Jackie Morra grounded a single up the middle to bring Cruz home.
“I wanted to make solid contact so we could pull ahead early,” Morra said. “Having Bella’s speed on second takes some pressure off because I know she can score on basically any hit.”
Coming off its second straight CHSAA state title and a 24-1 record, St. Anthony’s (4-2) has been through the wringer its last few games.
The Friars played two games in New Jersey on Saturday and took a loss in both. St. Anthony’s lost on a walk-off double to Donovan Catholic, the reigning NJSIAA Non-Public A state champions and the top-ranked team in New Jersey. Later in the day, St. Anthony’s fell to eighth-ranked Immaculate Heart Academy. Morris Catholic is No. 11 in New Jersey.
“I love playing games like this,” Fiordalisi said. “Everyone steps up and plays their best against teams of this caliber.”
Said Massa: “We want to play the best teams so when we get to the big games later in the year, our girls will be battle-tested.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
