Stephen Gonsalves and Cathedral Catholic will host Madison and Ian Clarkin in what should be an epic duel today.
Photo by Steven Silva
One week ago, baseball fans were treated to a matchup pitting the nation's top two prospects - Clint Frazier of Loganville (Ga.) and Austin Meadows of Grayson - in what some pundits called the "
Game of the Year."
Ian Clarkin, Madison
File photo by Steven Silva
Get ready for "Game of the Year II."
Two of the nation's top pitching prospects face each other today at
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), when
Stephen Gonsalves of the host Dons takes the mound against
Ian Clarkin of
Madison (San Diego).
"Come early to get a seat, they say it's going to be packed," said Madison coach Robert Lovato. "Good stuff no mater what the score is. You gotta love it."
Cathedral Catholic coach Gary Remiker echoed Lovato's thoughts after announcing Gonsalves as his starting pitcher. "It's going to be a heck of a game."
The scouts will be out in force to watch Gonsalves, the
No. 21-ranked senior prospect by MaxPreps, and Clarkin, ranked No. 16. Both are left-handed pitchers and both are committed to play at the University of San Diego next year, assuming they do not sign with a professional team following the MLB Draft.
Stephen Gonsalves, Cathedral Catholic
Photo by Kirt Winter
Gonsalves is 2-0 on the season with a 0.70 ERA. He has allowed four hits and struck out 11 with four walks. He's also been stellar at the plate with a .421 average and one home run.
Clarkin, meanwhile, is 1-1 on the season. He dropped a 1-0 decision to Serra (Gardena, Calif.) on March 7 and one-hit Imperial 1-0 last week. He has allowed just three hits and has struck out 26, including 16 in the win over Imperial.
As a junior, Clarkin posted an 8-2 record while earning MaxPreps All-American honors. He struck out 106 batters in 68 innings, including eight in a 6-3 loss to Cathedral Catholic.
Gonsalves got the win in the 6-3 victory, pitching the final three innings in scoreless fashion without allowing a hit and striking out one. He also got a no-decision in a 5-4, 10-inning win over Madison as he went five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. For the year, Gonsalves went 9-0 with 79 strikeouts and a 1.91 ERA in 66 innings pitched.
Ian Clarkin, Madison
File photo by Steven Silva
Cathedral Catholic was ranked No. 1 in last week's Xcellent 25, but dropped a 4-0 decision to Granite Hills and fell to the No. 9 spot in
this week's Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings. The Dons are 6-1 overall while Madison is 4-3.
Today's contest, which begins at 3:30 p.m., is the final game for Cathedral Catholic before it heads to North Carolina to play, coincidentally, Grayson.
Madison will stay at home next week and participate in the Lions Tournament with a first-round game against Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.).
