STATE COLLEGE — Even though he had shed his Bellefonte jersey, senior pitcher Dom Masullo was easy to spot following the Red Raiders’ 2-0 victory in the PIAA Class AAA state title game on June 17.
As the postgame celebration moved from the infield to the outfield and everywhere in between at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, Masullo kept drawing the biggest crowd.
Coaches hugged him. Players hugged him. Parents hugged him.
And why not? Masullo delivered a Herculean effort on a day when the Red Raiders needed it most.
He fired a complete-game 2-0 shutout at Susquehanna Township as the Red Raiders claimed their first baseball title in school history.
Masullo, however, didn’t see it as a one-man effort. After the game, he kept talking about the importance of team.
“This is the best group of kids,” Masullo said of his teammates. “Every single one of us works day in and day out. All we wanted at the beginning of the year was this.”
It wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine for Masullo and the Red Raiders. It’s been well-documented that the team started the 2016 campaign 1-7 before turning things around.
“We got off to a rocky start, but that’s OK because we showed up whenever we needed to and we won the biggest game that we could,” Masullo said.
Although he had to work out of a couple of jams in the District 6 Class AAA title game, Masullo dominated. He struck out five, walked just one and scattered five hits in the complete-game effort.
He finished the championship season with an 8-3 record and a sparking 2.15 ERA.
Masullo said that the jams never frazzled him.
“I’m pretty composed as a pitcher when it comes to stuff like that. The bases were loaded with one out. I just thought ‘I’ve gotta pitch as well as I can and get out of the jam,’” Masullo said.
Masullo was the team’s workhorse in the postseason, pitching in six of the squad’s seven district and PIAA playoff games. In those appearances, he went 5-0 with a save.
He stood in the outfied, sweat dripping down his face and tried to take it all in.
“It’s insane. We started … I think we were 0-5 and then we got to 1-7. We got on a nice run eventually … we got hot when we needed to be hot. And that’s how we got here,” he said matter-of-factly.
How did the Red Raiders stay in the postseason, let alone make such an improbable run? Masullo said it was easy to figure out, actually.
“The pitching and the defense has been stellar and that’s an understatement to be honest with you. Everyone has been so solid defensively. Our bats came alive eventually, but pitching and defense is how you win games in baseball. That’s what we did,” Masullo said.
Masullo did a nice job mixing his pitches in the biggest game of the year. He said that his two-seam fastball was working well as was his slider. He threw in the 80s for much of the afternoon and the Medlar Field guns had him topping out in the low 90s.
In the end, Masullo was dominant. But even with the gold medal hanging around his neck, he said it still didn’t feel real.
“I can’t even fathom what’s happened, but it’s awesome,” he said.
Now, Masullo will set his sights on Morehead State. He’s headed there in the fall.
“I can’t believe this is over,” he said. “I’m like ‘when’s practice?’ We’ve been practicing since February. To end that cycle on a high note like this is just incredible.”
