Prep outlasts gutsy Fenwick baseball squad

DANVERS – A very good test for any ballclub to measure itself by is by playing another squad that’s in a higher division than its own. That was the test that the Bishop Fenwick baseball team (Division 3) faced when it took on St. John’s Prep (Division 1) on Saturday.Though the Crusaders put up a good struggle, bouncing back from several runs down, the Eagles pushed across runs in every inning to offset Fenwick, 14-9, on Dedication Day at Brother Linus Athletic Complex.”This was a good test to see where we are in the middle of the season,” said Fenwick coach Russell Steeves. “This tells us where we sit against the other teams of Division 3. I was happy with the way we battled against one of the top teams of the state. We could have laid down, especially after the big inning of theirs (six-run third), but we battled. We gave them a good game.”St. John’s (9-1) had just widened its lead with a six-spot in the bottom of the third for a 9-1 edge. Yet the Crusaders (7-2) bounced back with three of their own in the top of the fourth. Righty Nick Fabrizio walked the first two men of the inning, catcher Dale Crispin and pinch hitter Chris Renzulli. Second baseman Dave Ruggiero loaded the bases with a single to left, and an error brought in Crispin. A strikeout followed, yet centerfielder Nick Guido singled to right to score Renzulli to bring Fenwick to within 9-3. The Crusaders added another run with a fielder’s choice.Yet Fenwick couldn’t stop the Prep, as the Eagles added to their lead in the bottom of the inning. With one down, reliever Connor O’Brien plunked a pair of batters. Ruggiero then came on to pitch, but back-to-back walks forced in third baseman Pat Connaughton. After another walk, right fielder Mike Yastrzemski singled home teammate Derek DuBois for an 11-4 lead.Yastrzemski came on to work the fifth, and surrendered a one-out solo homer to Crispin. Renzulli reached on an error, then crossed the plate on Ruggiero’s triple to right-center. Ruggiero brought Fenwick to within 11-7 on a missed third strike.The Eagles extended their lead to 13-7 with a pair in the bottom of the fifth after leadoff walks, a single by left fielder Gary Donahue and a sacrifice fly by Connaughton. Yet Crispin drilled his second homer in as many innings with a two-run blast off Yastrzemski that brought Fenwick to within 13-9.St. John’s closed the scoring in the bottom of the sixth on an infield out.”We made a few errors early that led to them scoring,” Steeves added. “We outhit them, and they still scored 14. We have to sharpen our defense, and improve our pitching. We were using some pitchers that hadn’t pitched before.”Fenwick had just evened the game at 1 in the top of the second on an infield single by designated hitter Kevin Pierce, when the Prep (9-1) put together a two-run rally in its half of the frame off Fenwick starter Andrew Guido. Catcher T. J. Patrikas reached on a two-base error with one down, then took third on an infield out. DuBois was hit by a pitch, and then outfielder Garrett Folger singled across both runners to give St. John’s a 3-1 edge.The Eagles pushed the game wide open with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the third. With one away, Donahue reached on a ground-rule double. After a walk to Connaughton, DH John Vigliotti got aboard on another two-base error, bringing in both runners, and increasing the margin to 5-1. Guido was then replaced by Pat Barrett, but he issued a walk to DuBois. Vigliotti crossed the plate on Folger’s slow infield roller, and a walk to Yastrzemski loaded the bases. First baseman Chris Carmain brought everyone in with a double to right to give St. John’s a 9-1 advantage.”That was a big hit by Carmain (the bases-loaded double), as it gave us some separation from them (Fenwick),” Eagles coach Pat Yanchus said. “They’d score, then we’d score, and back and forth. It wasn’t a crisp game, due to all the walks, but we had a good hitting attack.”