By Sean Duncan

CRESTWOOD ? St. Rita left-hander Scott Thomas appeared to be headed for a long afternoon; or, depending how patient coach Mike Zunica was feeling, a very short afternoon.

Either way, Thomas seemingly was in trouble after he walked three and allowed one run in the first inning against Notre Dame during Sunday?s Southside Conference Challenge at Standard Bank Stadium.

?I just had to relax and keep my composure,? said Thomas, a 5-foot-11 junior. ?I kind of got in my head in the first inning. I just had to clear my head.?

Once Thomas wiped away his doubts, he began wiping away Notre Dame?s hitters, one after another, and ultimately pitched No. 7 St. Rita past the Dons, 2-1, on a beautiful afternoon as part of the two-day event. St. Rita improved to 11-1 with the win.

 In 6.2 innings, Thomas (4-0) struck out 11, hit one batter and walked five, and only two after his tumultuous first inning. Using a good mix of fastballs (78-81 mph), curveballs and changeups, he yielded only two hits ? both in the fourth inning ? one of which was a bunt.

?When coach visited me in the first inning, I really changed my mindset and relaxed,? he said. ?That first inning was rough, but then I settled down.?

Thomas seemed to be on track to throw a complete game, retiring the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh, before he issued a walk and hit the next batter. With runners on first and second, Zunica turned to senior sidewinder Nico Zych to close out the game against the Dons? No. 3 hitter, Alex Bubusci. With a full count and the game on the line, Zych wheeled and picked the runner off second base to end the contest.

The game did not feature much offense. St. Rita tallied four of its five hits against Notre Dame senior left-hander Andrew Gustafson in the second inning. The Mustangs strung together four consecutive singles in the inning, including run-scoring hits by second baseman Jake Thome and sophomore right fielder Connor McLain. Air Force-bound catcher Brian Sicher had a single in the inning and walked both other plate appearances.

Gustafson pitched well enough to earn the win for the Dons (5-6). In six innings, he allowed five hits, two runs, struck out three and walked three.

In the first game of the day, St. Ignatius rallied in the seventh inning to defeat St. Patrick 11-10.