Eventful fourth inning propels Fenwick to quarterfinals

PEABODY – The Bishop Fenwick baseball team needed some time and even more good fortune to break things open on Sunday afternoon against visiting Bedford. After three scoreless innings, the host Crusaders’ bats woke up and helped carry Fenwick to an 8-3 victory in an MIAA Division 3 first-round matchup.The No. 2 seed Crusaders trailed the No.18 Buccaneers 1-0 through three and a half innings, unable to solve Bedford starter Joey Zampell, who kept the Fenwick batters off balance early on. Having already stranded five runners in the game (four in scoring position), the hosts knew they had to wake things up in a hurry.They certainly did just that, but with a twist.Mike Campatelli got the bottom of the fourth inning going with a rip down the left-field line that went for a double. Rob Carillo followed with a single to center that tied the game. No. 9 hitter Eric Razney followed with a perfectly placed bunt single, setting the stage for what turned out to be the deciding play in the game.Leadoff hitter John Oliviera sent a high popup out to shallow left field, which looked like trouble from the crack of the bat. Sure enough, Bedford shortstop Greg Hickox couldn’t field the ball cleanly, allowing all runners to reach safely.However, it seemed that the field umpire declared an infield fly ruling, as made apparent by a hand gesture that the home plate umpire imitated. After a brief meeting, it was determined that the ball was far enough out and a difficult play, allowing the runners to stay put, much to the frustration of the Bedford fan base.Both managers came out to gain clarification, but nothing changed, leaving the Crusaders with the bases loaded and just one out. After a Mike Mackensie pop to short, Nick Bona delivered a crucial three-run double to left-center, which turned out to be the winning hit.”Our order is deep one through nine, and that’s the nicest part about it,” explained Fenwick coach Kevin Canty of the deciding hit, which came from his No. 3 hitter and scored the eight and nine men as well as his leadoff hitter. For the game, the bottom three hitters combined to score three runs.With the lead in hand, Crusaders ace Joe Levasseur turned what was already a solid outing into a masterpiece. After allowing one run (a Joe Gallagher sacrifice fly) on just two hits through the first four, the righty went the fifth and sixth without allowing a hit while striking out four of his nine on the day.”He has such great stuff and was our ace all year long,” said Canty. “Besides that one pitch he hung in the fourth (a John Kline double), he spotted the ball really well all day and kept them on their toes.”The Fenwick offense kept on pounding, getting one in the fifth on a Campatelli double-play ball that allowed Brian Burke to score. Fenwick put things away in the sixth, getting an RBI double from Gianni Esposito, who also scored on the play after attempting third on the throw home before getting interfered with.Burke would follow with a solo homer to left-center to complete the Crusader scoring. Bedford scored twice in its half of the seventh off reliever James Dellisola before Tommy Parson wrapped things up.The Crusaders advanced to the quarterfinals and a matchup with No. 7 Stoneham Tuesday at Fenwick.