Wellington Turns the Tables on Nova With 1-Hitter in Regional Quarterfinal

Wellington pitcher Andrew Istler handcuffed Nova on Tuesday night, allowing just one hit as the Wolverines went on to win 5-0 to advance to a regional semifinal.

Istler was well on his way toward his first career no-hitter, but Nova’s C.J. Chatham broke up the no-no in the bottom of the fifth as he got on with a leadoff single. Istler struck out six and walked three.

“He did a nice job,” Nova coach Pat McQuaid said of Istler.

“He kept his pitch count low, so he didn’t let us see the bullpen. He might be the best pitcher we saw all year.”

The Wolverines, who collected nine hits, came out of the gate ready to play as Istler, the second batter, set the tone with a home run. Then with two outs, Wellington managed four runs, the first coming on an error and another on a passed ball. Four consecutive batters reached base, three with a hit, as the Wolverines sent all nine batters to the plate in the inning.

“They came out and were aggressive,” McQuaid said. “We make an error we haven’t made all year, and the kid hits a home run. We should have been out of the inning 1-0.”

After the shaky first, Nova starter Ronny Patella settled down to pitch a decent game until he ran into trouble in the fifth. With two outs, Patella gave up consecutive singles and was pulled. Troy Massaro came in the pitch and struck out the next batter to end the threat.

Nova’s best chance to score came in the fourth inning when it put runners at second and third, but consecutive strikeouts got Wellington out of the jam.

Wellington (22-7) will play Friday at district nemesis West Boca, whom the Wolverines are 1-2 against this season. West Boca defeated St. Thomas 5-1 on Tuesday. The Titans finished their season at 20-3.

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