FALL RIVER — Brett Fonseca did catch and throw the ball. The video from Monday's Division 1 South baseball win over Wellesley, at UMass Dartmouth, clearly shows that.

But in real time, to the naked eye, it was more liked the fifth-inning pitch from Durfee's Ethan Ferreira hit a trampoline decked out in a Durfee uniform and ricocheted accurately to second base for an easy, inning-ending caught stealing.

A huge play? Durfee's lead was a mere 2-1 at the time. The pumped-up Hilltoppers scored twice in the bottom of the sixth en route to the 4-1 win.

"He worked really hard in the offseason to improve his arm strength, No. 1, but (also) his quickness in getting rid of the ball," Durfee coach Dave Ulmschneider said after Tuesday's practice for Wednesday's South semifinal against Attleboro at Fino Field in Milford (4 p.m. start). "We knew he was a good receiver. We knew he would block the balls. But to have him come in and put in the work to get a quicker release and arm strength was a pleasant surprise."

A catcher since he was 10 years old, Fonseca had to wait his turn to put on the equipment at Durfee because the Hilltoppers had all-leaguer Zakary Sousa (Class of 2018) in place. Fonseca was still a big part of the playoff-qualifying '18 Hillltoppers, batting second while serving as designated hitter. Once he realized where he fit in with the team last year, Fonseca said, he was very content to play his important, though one-dimensional, role.

And once the season was over (ending in a 9-1 playoff loss to Wellesley), Fonseca acted like anything but a player expecting the catcher's job to be dropped into his lap the following spring. He played AAU baseball, adult league baseball. He exercised to strengthen and quicken his throwing.

And he routinely had his father, Manny Fonseca, fire pitch after pitch after pitch in the dirt to practice blocking. "I work on that all the time," Fonseca said. "Our pitchers throw a lot of off-speed stuff so I know I have to be ready."

"He does a great job blocking pitches," Ulmschneider said. "He throws his chest in there. He had a really good day yesterday (Monday). He understands you don't have to catch every one. Sometimes you use the chest protector."

The 5-foot-6, 160-pound senior has gotten the job done behind the plate and with the bat. Heading into Wednesday's South semifinal, Fonseca is batting a hard .292 with 13 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. Against Wellesley's Harvard University-bound fireballer Jay Driver, Fonseca had a game-winning off-field sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and, in Durfee's two-run sixth, he ripped a double into the left-field corner. His courtesy runner, Edop Bergollo Colon, scored the fourth Durfee run shortly thereafter on Curtis Perry's single.

When it comes to explaining Fonseca's success as a catcher and a hitter, Ulmscheider starts with the hands.

"I think he has quick hands," Ulmschneider said. "He works hard. He's played a lot of baseball. It's the only sport he plays. His hands are really quick. I haven't seen many guys who can get the fast ball by him."

TOURNAMENT NOTES: The South Sectional game locations have led to some head scratching, with second-seeded Durfee (16-5) and Attleboro (13-9) travelling to Milford, the other D1 semifinal having No. 4 Taunton "hosting" Xaverian at Xaverian, and in Division 2 top-seeded Hopkinton playing its semifinal against No. 5 Stoughton at Stoughton.

Eoin Kelleher is expected to be the starting pitcher for surprising Attleboro. ... The Bombardiers have played 15 games decided by two runs or less or in extra innings. In the playoffs, Attleboro has defeated Barnstable 5-3 and Bridgewater-Raynham 8-7. ... Kelleher is bound for St. Olaf College in Minnesota to play baseball and junior center fielder Alvara Espinal has verbally agreed to attend Bryant University.

The Durfee-Attleboro matchup serves as a flashback to the days of the long defunct (three decades) Southeastern Massachusetts Conference. ... Curtis Perry (6-1, 1.31 ERA) is expected to pitch for the Hilltoppers. ... Durfee's leading hitters among the regulars are Perry (.435), Dominguez (.344), Ismael Moreno (.340), Jose Arrieta (.338), and Chris Cadima (.300).