With all eyes on him, Pacchioli shines

FROM THE MORNING CALL

A game bereft of playoff implications drew an overflow crowd to Nazareth's Borough Park, with pockets of fans lining the fences.

Caution tape blocked the ungated portions of Easton's dugout. Police officers and security personnel patrolled near the stands.

This was no ordinary high school baseball game. This was Nazareth senior Justin Pacchioli playing against Easton, the school where he won two District 11 Class 4A football titles and one Lehigh Valley Conference baseball championship before his much-publicized and scrutinized transfer midway through this school year.

With eyes tracking his every move and taunts greeting him before his at-bats, Pacchioli simply played baseball with the skill and passion that has made him one of the area's premier players for the last two years. His run-scoring triple in the sixth inning capped a three-hit day that included two runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base in the Blue Eagles' 9-3 LVC win Friday.

Nazareth (18-2 overall, 12-2 LVC) arrived Friday having already clinched the LVC North Division title and the No. 1 seed for next week's league tournament. Easton already had secured its spot in the District 11 Class 4A playoffs and had been eliminated from the East Division race Thursday.

Both teams still wanted to win a game charged with emotion on both sides. No one wanted the victory more than Pacchioli, who was originally deemed ineligible to play baseball at Nazareth by District 11 but had that ruling overturned by the PIAA just before the season started.

"We all came out fired up as a team, and my teammates all knew how big of a game this was for me," Pacchioli said. "Even though it didn't mean much because Easton's in districts already and it didn't mean a whole lot to anybody, we knew we had to come out here and play well.

"We never want to lose. My teammates backed me up, and it was a great victory for us."

After catching Nazareth's first three games this week, Pacchioli started in left field Friday. The move by coach Jon Lock served to both give Pacchioli's legs a break and keep him out of the action a bit.

As it turned out, even the baseball seemed locked on Pacchioli.

In the seventh inning, he shifted to third base for the first time all season. The first batter of the inning lined a ball to third that he snared with a dive.

He ended the game by fielding a grounder from Easton first baseman Jonathan Bisci and running it to third base for a force out before flipping the baseball high toward the pitcher's mound. Pacchioli and Bisci know each other well; they were one of the area's most prolific quarterback-receiver tandems during the fall for Easton, with both earning second-team all-state honors.

"Justin's a heck of an athlete," Lock said. "He could play any position on the field. I think if I threw him out there on the mound he'd be successful. I don't hesitate to put him anywhere."

Pacchioli also did damage at the plate, teaming with Kris Kent, Mike Garzillo and Karl Keglovits to give Easton (10-10, 7-7) trouble all afternoon. Those four combined to go 7-for-12 with seven runs scored, seven RBIs, two triples and four stolen bases, helping the Blue Eagles score in five of their six turns at bat.

Pacchioli was at his disruptive best in the fourth. He hit a leadoff single and then drew two balks while bouncing around on the bases. He scored on a sacrifice fly for an 8-2 lead that Easton never threatened.

As much as the Red Rovers wanted to win, coach Carm LaDuca was happy to have the Pacchioli reunion game behind him and his players. Friday marked Easton's fifth game in as many days and 10th in the last two weeks.

"It was a tremendous atmosphere," LaDuca said. "I wish more people would come out to watch these great kids come out to play high school baseball for the game itself rather than some sort of spectacle. Nazareth's a fantastic ballclub, and [Drew] Hercik pitched a good ballgame."

Despite his big day, Pacchioli also said he was pleased to put Friday's game behind him. The Blue Eagles have carried a target all year as the LVC favorite.

They will have a chance to make good on their potential next week.

"Any day of baseball we're looking forward to," Pacchioli said. "We come out and play hard 1-9 of our lineup, and we build off of that. We come out and we fire the whole game, and we just play baseball like we were taught."

Easton1100010--371

Nazareth322101x--992

Lawson, Beinlich (4) and Hernandez; Hercik, Shepherd (7) and Charlie. WP: Hercik. LP: Lawson.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-baseball-nazareth-0513-20110513,0,7968894.story