Charlotte Catholic Walks Off Charlotte Christian in Thrilling 6-5 Victory

A highly anticipated showdown between No. 2 Charlotte Catholic and No. 6 Charlotte Christian lived up to the hype on Tuesday night at Jack Hughes Park. With a standing-room-only crowd and fans lining the fences, the electric atmosphere set the stage for a dramatic finish as Catholic walked off with a 6-5 victory.

Back-and-Forth Battle

Both teams wasted no time getting on the board, each plating a run in the first inning. Charlotte Christian took control in the third, adding two more runs off Catholic starter Quinn O’Rourke to take a 3-1 lead. However, Catholic responded with a run in the bottom of the third and another in the sixth to even the score at 3-3 heading into the final frame.

Late-Inning Fireworks

Christian looked poised to claim victory in the seventh after Drew Darling delivered a clutch two-out single to center, scoring Cohen Bettencourt and Owen Farrell to put the visitors up 5-3.

But Catholic had a rally of their own. Alex Hoffman led off the bottom of the inning with a single, followed by a one-out hit from Matt McKnight. With two strikes, Jon Fijalkowski laced a deep shot to the left-center gap for a triple, bringing in both runners to tie the game at 5-5. Just two pitches later, Paul Greeley laid down a perfectly executed squeeze bunt to bring home Fijalkowski and seal the thrilling walk-off win.

Pitching Performances

Catholic’s bullpen held strong, with Dylan Kelleher working 3.2 innings and allowing just two runs while picking up one strikeout. Will O’Rourke earned the win after facing two batters in the final inning.

For Charlotte Christian, ace Grant Nicholson was dominant at times, striking out 10 over six strong innings while allowing just three earned runs. Freshman Ivan Andino took the loss after surrendering three runs in the seventh.

Key Performers

Charlotte Christian:

• Cohen Bettencourt: 1-for-3, 2 R
• Owen Farrell: 2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI
• Drew Darling: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
• Grant Nicholson: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 10 K

Charlotte Catholic:

• Alex Hoffman: 2-for-3, 3 R
• Matt McKnight: 2-for-2, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI
• Jon Fijalkowski: 3-for-4, 3B, 1 R, 3 RBI
• Paul Greeley: 1-for-3, 1 RBI
• Will O’Rourke: Win, 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB

SCOUT BLOG

Quinn O'Rourke, RHP, Charlotte Catholic, 2026
Athletic frame. 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. Loose hips. Small turn through balance. Works level, landing on-line with a square foot-strike. Electric stuff at times. Stuff can take off out of the hand and be a bit erratic as well. Fastball has ride, creating swing and miss in the zone as well as chase when elevated. Ranged 88-92. Held 90-92 in the first two innings. Spin ranged 2550 - 2800rpm on the fastball. Curveball works from a similar release, allowing for some early recognition from hitters. Hard, downer turn. At times a bit early. Feel for landing the breaking ball increased with each inning. Curveball sat 77-80, 2900rpm. 10/5 to 11/5 shape. Put away breaking ball had more depth. Feel and command should come with reps - the ball is jumping out of his hand right now. Athletic mover down the mound that could see the stuff continue to tick up in the near future.

Dylan Kelleher, RHP, Charlotte Catholic, 2025
Lean frame with length at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Some effort in the delivery and release but has an ability to repeat. Around the zone with a two pitch mix. Fastball sat 83-84, missing bats in zone and getting some chase. Seems to play up. Slider at 75 has little action but seems to confuse barrels. Long arm swing. Scapular load. Over-the-top. Average to above arm speed. Down zone with a solid attack angle through the zone. Some head whack through release. Uncommitted and has shown an ability to miss bats against solid high school hitters.

Matt McKnight, 3B, Charlotte Catholic, 2025
North Carolina commit. Athletic build with strength present at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. Simple and relaxed setup from the right side. Relaxed hands. Balanced with the feet just outside the shoulders. Some pre-pitch rhythm into a weight shift and small hand push back load. Executed well inside the strike zone. Showed excellent zone feel. Sat on slider in first at-bat - one time and smoked a single to centerfield. Hit another slider in 3rd at-bat, finding a barrel on a line drive to right, scored as a double. Final at-bat may have been his best, staying on plan and staying in zone to earn a walk and become the tying run.

Cohen Bettencourt, C, Charlotte Christian, 2025
High Point commit. Listed at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds. Athletic backstop. Loose hips. Athletic receiver that elevated his pitching staff with his presence, demeanor, and ability to receive and block. Arm has solid carry. Athletic release. Showed an ability to be accurate off block and recover, throwing from an augmented slot to cut down a runner. On bag in game with a caught stealing pop of 2.26.

Ivan Andino, RHP, Charlotte Christian, 2028
5-foot-11, 170 pounds. Freshman with a good arm that came in to close the 7th with an aggressive demeanor. Attacked the zone with a good fastball / curveball combination. Fastball ranged 87-89, working down in the zone. Breaking ball has a slight hump out of the release with early depth at 79-81. Athletic on the bump. Solid mover. Stuff will continue to tick up as he matures.

Grant Nicholson, RHP, Charlotte Christian, 2025
Wake Forest commit. Pitched with emotion and made several big pitches in key spots to keep leads. Lean, straight line frame. Long torso. Long limbs. Simple delivery. Closed through balance, working level, getting back to an on-line, square foot-strike. Athletic finish with good direction. Long arm swing has good rhythm through a high-3/4 slot. Good arm speed. Fastball plays true at 87-89. Held velocity for all 6 innings of the start. Spin on fastball ranged 1900 - 2150rpm. Trust in his slider with an ability to manipulate the shape when warranted. Slider sat 75-78. Cutter at 81-82. Cutter had shorter horizontal action. Slider was earlier with length over depth. Occasional 10/4 shape. Had feel for running the slider off the bat in leveraged counts. Flashed a change-up to left handed hitters at 79-81. Solid arm speed and fade. Change should continue to develop giving him 3-4 pitches to attack with as he continues up the ladder.

Derek Vazquez, SS, Charlotte Christian, 2028
Impressive freshman has elite defensive skills. Athletic frame with strength present, standing 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. Hands and feet work with rhythm. Has quickness. Excellent first step and angles from infield / outfield through the game. Hands have softness with an ability to catch inside and outside his frame. Transitioned with ease on routine ball. Showed feel for transitioning the baseball while on and off platform. Athletic arm action and high-¾ slot. Easy carry. No doubt the arm sticks on the right side and should play as well-advanced for the shortstop position through high school and well above average at the college level. Left handed hitter has hand strength with solid bat speed. Some swing and miss seeing a steady mix of fastballs above 88 and a downer breaking ball. Bat will play. Extremely impressive look at a top 2028.

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