By Larry Moko
Walk-off hits are Dom Costantini's specialty.
For the second consecutive time against the Bishop Tonnos Titans this season, Costantini stepped to the plate and ended the contest with a run-scoring blow.
His opposite-field single to left in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a tie and lifted the St. Jean de Brebeuf Braves to a 4-3 semifinal high school baseball victory at Bernie Arbour Stadium Thursday.
In the other Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic semifinal, the St. Thomas More Knights topped the Bishop Ryan Celtics, 7-4.
"Dom has walked off Tonnos both times," Brebeuf coach Alain DeSouza said. "In the first game of the season (4-3) Dom got a hit in the last inning. And today he got a hit in the last inning."
Brebeuf led 3-1 entering the top half of the seventh. However, the Titans struck for a pair of runs -- the final blow a long, two-out RBI double by Jackson Lloyd over the left fielder's head.
"Our bats finally came alive," Tonnos coach Chris Davis said. "I thought we had a chance to take it to extra innings."
Griffin Wilson started the seventh for Brebeuf by drawing a walk from Tonnos reliever Matt Low. Two outs later, Luca Impagliatelli also reached base on a walk to set the stage for Costantini's heroics.
"I've played against this guy (Low) for a long time," Costantini said. "So I knew what he throws.
"I was going for the fastball. When I hit the ball it felt good."
A Grade 12 student, Costantini is a veteran player with the Braves. DeSouza was pleased for his success.
Said DeSouza: "We started up the Braves baseball team again four years ago and Dom was one of the first kids on the team in Grade 9. It's just great to see him with two gigantic hits in his final year."
Brebeuf opened the scoring in the first when Wilson led off with a single, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and came home by way of an infield throwing error.
The second-place Braves then padded their lead with two runs in the third. Carter Delaplante walked, moved to second on a fielder's choice and crossed the plate on a single by Impagliatelli. Eli Wright's second single of the game then drove in Impagliatelli.
"We're a gritty team," the Braves coach said. "We just don't quit."
Jacob Knoll and Low shared the mound duties for BT, while Delaplante and Impagliatelli pitched for Brebeuf. The Braves out-hit the Titans, six to four. Each team struck out 11 times.
Defensively, a two-out diving catch by Braves centre fielder Tyler Thiessen off the bat of Andy Locke saved a run from scoring in the fifth.
The Titans finished fourth in the standings with a record of 3-2. They then downed last year's champions from St. John Henry Newman, 8-3, in a quarter-final. The other quarter-final saw the Bishop Ryan Celtics edge the St. Mary Crusaders, 1-0.
The championship game between Brebeuf and St. Thomas More is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at Bernie Arbour Stadium.
"We're playing great together," Costantini said. "We're all buddies and we're contributing on the field. It's all working out.
"Hopefully, this is our year."
First-place More and Brebeuf each had 4-1 regular-season records.
More downed Brebeuf, 5-3, in their meeting during the regular schedule.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
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