LOWELL — The magical ride of the Bishop Fenwick baseball team has come to an end.
Wednesday at Alumni Field, the Crusaders came up short in their quest to play for their first state title since 2004, losing 5-1 to South champion Medway in the semifinal.
Despite the disappointment, it would be hard to deny what this Crusaders team accomplished this season, especially the contributions of their six seniors who, when the Crusaders needed it most, stepped up in big ways.
Midway through the year, Fenwick had fallen on hard times, dropping four straight games, prompting coach Russ Steeves to call a meeting with the seniors, all of whom were regular starters.
The result? A 12-game winning streak that turned the Crusaders from a fledgling .500 team into a contender for a state championship.
The catalyst was senior Angelo McCullogh.
“That was the turning point and the guy who was responsible for starting it all was Angelo,” said Steeves. “We had just lost to Spellman, it was our fourth straight loss and were 7-6. I took the seniors to Brothers in Danvers to share our situation with them. I shared their stats and Angelo said, ‘I made that many errors at short?’
“He then said, ‘coach, you gotta put me in the outfield. I’m not getting the job done and you need to put Scott (Emerson) at short.’ I mean, Angelo had been our shortstop for three years but he basically came to me with his hat in his hands. He truly was the key for us to find out success these last 12 games.”
McCullough, a Catholic Central League First Team All-Star, who smacked a leadoff double Wednesday in the first inning, wasn’t the only one going to the suggestion box.
“Cory (Bright) then said I should put him at first base,” said Steeves. “He had two ACL surgeries, a wrist surgery and is so beat up. He didn’t even play the last two years so I thought first base would be the perfect place for a kid that beaten up.
“Then he said he could pitch, and all I could think was, ‘how he could say that when he hasn’t even played the last two years?’ But he did.”
Next up was Harrison Brickett, who chimed in and offered to move to second base. CCL Second Team All-Star Ethan Belt, who had shared catching duties with CCL First Team All-Star Keegan O’Connor, volunteered to move to third base.
“A lot of our problems came out at that dinner,” said Belt. “Coach (Steeves) said we were having trouble on the left side. Keegan and I were going back and forth between catcher and third, so I thought coach should try me at third. It wasn’t a negative meeting at all. It was just a way of coming together and doing what was best for the team.”
“I totally agree with Ethan,” said O’Connor. ” He took the high road by saying he would go to third and he was great there. He made our team better.”
By the time the Brothers’ bill was paid, the Crusaders had found their identity.
“When we went to Brothers we just figured out where the puzzle pieces went,” said Trey Deloury, who scored the Crusaders’ only run and pitched four strong innings closing out the Medway game.
“Honestly I’ve never seen a kid like Angelo go to the outfield like that and make that catch against Lynnfield,” Deloury said. “It was unbelievable. I know Belt wanted to catch a little more but his best spot to help the team was at third and that’s what he did. We all came together and said let’s just do what’s best for the team, and that’s what we did.”
Brickett agreed with Deloury, who also was a CCL First-Team honoree.
“It was like hitting the reset button as we knew all six of us can play all over the place so like Trey said, it was figuring out who would fit the best where,” Brickett said. “We weren’t as good as we thought we were at that point and obviously it worked out pretty well for us.”
Bright, a CCL Second-Team honoree, doubled home the only Crusader run Wednesday. Bright has spent more time on the bench rehabbing and cheering than on the field in his four-year Fenwick career, but nonetheless, this season will be something he will never forget.
“It was just awesome to be able to be a part of this team and I have never had a team win 12 in a row and feel as confident as we did,” Bright said. “Day in and day out, we played every game like it was our last and unfortunately today it was.”
Despite the loss, Steeves said the Crusaders should be proud of their accomplishments, especially the seniors, whose willingness to put team interests ahead of their own turned their season around.
“These seniors are what Bishop Fenwick is all about,” Steeves said. “Each one of them and collectively as a group they represent everything the school is about. They are going to do very well in life and I could not be more proud of them.”
