St. Mary’s baseball gets revenge on Fenwick

Earlier in the season, the St. Mary’s baseball squad fell to Fenwick. The Spartans were determined not to let it happen again, and the team scored twice in the bottom of the second, overtaking the Crusaders, 4-2, at Fraser Field on Saturday.Click here for a photo gallery.Both clubs are now tied atop the Catholic Conference Large with identical 7-2 marks (St. Mary’s is 8-3 overall; Fenwick is 9-3).Second baseman Joe Kasabuski gave the Spartans an early 1-0 lead when he drove Andrew Guido’s second offering over the fence in left-center leading off the bottom of the first. The Crusaders came back to take the lead, scoring twice in the top of the second for a 2-1 edge. Catcher Dale Crispin led off with an infield single, then registered the team’s first run when teammate Dave Ruggiero clubbed a triple to deep left-center. One out later, Ruggiero crossed the plate on an infield out to give the Crusaders the one-run edge.That lead would be short-lived as the Spartans reclaimed it for good in the bottom of the frame. Pitcher Ryan Beliveau drew a leadoff walk from Guido, then stole second. Beliveau advanced to third on an infield out, and a walk to catcher Angelo Codispoti placed runners at the corners. Left fielder Justin Sharkey tied the game by singling in Beliveau, with Codispoti moving to third. Designated hitter John Chambers’ sacrifice fly to right scored Codispoti with the go-ahead run, putting the Spartans ahead to stay.”We came back with an answer,” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana. “Yano (third baseman Yano Petruzzelli) did a good job hitting the ball to the right side with two strikes, and moving Beliveau over to third. The kids have been focused on playing hard all year.”The Spartans increased their lead to 4-2 in the fourth. Once again, Beliveau helped his own cause with a leadoff single, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Petruzzelli. Beliveau then went to third on a passed ball with Codispoti at the plate and eventually scored on an infield out to second by Codispoti.Fenwick placed one runner on in both the third and fourth innings, but had perhaps its best opportunity to do some damage in the fifth. Centerfielder Nick Guido laced a one-out triple to right, and the ball tailed away from right fielder Alex Fiste, bounding down the line. After a lineout, Beliveau walked shortstop Pat Holleran, yet he induced first baseman Tom Moules to fly to right to end the threat.”We had guys on third all day, but we couldn’t get them home,” Fenwick coach Russell Steeves said. “We’re a team that usually gets 10-12 hits a game, and we only had four against Beliveau, who kept us off balance all game. He did a really good job for them.”Beliveau faced one more threat in the top of the seventh. He walked Nick Guido with one down; then, after a strikeout, Holleran reached on an infield error to put runners on first and third. Yet he got Moules to bounce to second on his first pitch to end the game.”Ryan’s been excellent all year for us,” stated Dana, who saw his righty improve to 4-0. “He walked three batters (to go with seven strikeouts), which is the most he’s walked all year, but he made the pitches that he had to, and the kids played great behind him.”