Fenwick baseball defeats Prep in unusual fashion

PEABODY – Ever since the term “walk-off” was entered into the baseball lexicon by Dennis Eckersley back in 1988, one usually thinks of base hits.The Bishop Fenwick baseball squad beat St. John’s yesterday by way of a walk-off strikeout/wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth to edge the Eagles, 4-3, at the McHugh-Farley Athletic Complex.Fenwick designated hitter Brian Church led off the inning with a walk from reliever Joshua Baldwin. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, then moved to third on an infield out. With two down, centerfielder Alex Morsey followed. Baldwin got an 0-2 count on the batter, then Morsey swung at strike three. Yet the ball scampered past Prep catcher Tyler Coppola, and Church crossed the plate with the winning run.”I told Alex that that was the best strikeout that he’s ever had,” joked Crusaders coach Russ Steeves, whose club improves to 13-5. “Some people think that we should schedule them, as they’re a big school and we’re a small one (as well as different divisions), but games like these help prepare us for the tourney. I don’t think that we’ve ever beaten them (in baseball) before.”Trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh, St. John’s (8-7) tied the score, yet missed on a chance to take the lead. Third baseman Kevin Barry led off with a single off lefty Zach Brian, then was advanced to second. Teammate Dillon Gonzalez brought him around with the tying run with a sharp single to right. Gonzalez went to second on a passed ball, then took third on an infield out. On Brian’s first pitch to shortstop Justin Peluso, Gonzalez took off for home, but was tagged out by Coppola to end the frame.”Justin’s a good hitter, and I wish we had him take a swing or two on that play,” said Prep coach Pat Yanchus. “The pitcher sped up his motion (on that pitch) to get Dillon.”Fenwick moved ahead, 3-2, in the bottom of the sixth. Pat Connaughton walked Brian, who was taken out for pinch runner Mike Cipriani, to lead off the inning. Cipriani moved to second on a bunt. After an infield out, third baseman Jake Bugler lined an opposite-field single to right, bringing across Cipriani with the go-ahead run.”That was a key hit by Jake,” said Steeves. “We had three straight hits, and we had talked about hitting the ball where it’s pitched. That’s what we did (in the inning).”The game began with three scoreless innings before the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Brian issued a leadoff walk to Coppola, and Connaughton sent him to third with a double to deep center. Coppola scored the game’s first run moments later on a wild pitch, while Connaughton increased the Prep’s advantage by crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by Barry.Yet the Crusaders, who had hit into two inning-ending double plays in the first four frames, evened up affairs with two down in the bottom of the fifth. Connaughton walked catcher Joe Bona, then allowed a single to outfielder Chris Renzulli to put runners on first and second. Second baseman Mike Davis singled to bring in Bona, while shortstop Dave Ruggiero’s single knocked in Renzulli to tie the game.