PEABODY — Bishop Fenwick’s baseball team (3-0) remained undefeated with an 11-1 mercy-rule win across five innings against Lynn English (2-1) on Saturday.
Hits were scarce with each side collecting just five apiece. In the end, it all came down to pitching.
English pitchers struggled with control, combining for 12 walks and three hit batters. Nine of the Crusaders’ runs were scored by players who walked or were hit by a pitch.
Fenwick coach JP Reiling was pleased with his pitchers’ abilities to throw first-pitch strikes and stay ahead in counts.
“That’s what we preach. We try to win the first pitch for our pitchers every time,” Reiling said. “Every time we get [the count] to 0-1, we know we’re in a good spot. That’s a key principle we’ve installed into our pitchers’ heads.”
Bulldogs’ coach Esteban Paula offered no excuses.
“We just have to learn from what happened today and move forward. It’s still the beginning of the season, but that’s not an excuse,” Paula said. “[We] still have to compete as a team and have to do a better job and make sure to compete all the way. We gave up too many free bases. We’re not going to beat anybody that way. … I believe they (Crusaders) did a better job than us putting the ball in play. They were more patient at the plate, waiting out those walks, so a lot of credit goes to them.”
Fenwick starter Andrew Kiricoples (4 K, 2 BB, HBP) earned the win. He allowed three hits and one run across three innings. Nick McFadden (2 IP, H, 3 K) and Chris Sawyer (2/3 IP, 3 K) mopped up in relief for their varsity pitching debuts. In his first varsity at-bat, Fenwick’s Connor McPhail clocked a long pinch-hit, two-run double in the fifth inning.
“He (McPhail) ripped that one,” Reiling said. “We were pleasantly surprised and it was great to see him out there. There are a lot more opportunities coming his way. I thought Nick McFadden and Chris Sawyer stepped up. They both did a very good job.”
English got off to a promising start, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, courtesy of Engel Thomas (2-for-3), who ripped an RBI double to bring home lead-off hitter Ewerd Beato, who was hit by a pitch.
“He (Thomas) had a very good game today,” Paula said.
The Crusaders wasted no time responding in their half of the inning to take the lead for good, 5-1, despite having just one hit — a bunt single off the bat of Matt Martisauskas (1-for-2, 2 R).
With one out in the second, Kiricoples drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored on Henry VanFaasen’s (1-for-3, R) double to make it a 6-1 game.
The Crusaders bumped the lead to 7-1 in the fourth. With one out, Martisauskas stole second and came home on a bases-loaded walk to Noah Hammond (1-for-1, RBI).
English threatened in the top of the fifth. Julian Rodriguez (1-for-3) led off with a long double, then Adriangel Santana reached on an infield error. But Sawyer slammed the door shut, getting out of the jam with a fielder’s choice and a strike out.
Fenwick put the game in the bank with four more runs in the bottom of the inning. Nate Pena (2 R) and McFadden (1-for-1, 2 R) led off with walks and scored on McPhail’s line-drive double to deep center. McPhail scored on a bases-loaded walk to Peyton Oreste, then Kiricoples capped the scoring with a bases-loaded, infield ground out to score Hammond (2 R).
The Bulldogs’ net game is Monday in Everett at Glendale Park (4 p.m.).
“We just have to go there and compete,” Paula said. “They’re going to put the ball in play. We just have to throw a lot of strikes and be ready to go. I know they’re going to bring their No. 1, so we need to learn from what happened today and move forward.”
Fenwick travels to face Catholic Central League foe Cardinal Spellman Monday at 3:30 p.m.
“We would like to continue what we are seeing and the hope is to get to 4-0,” Reiling said. “We kept Nick to under 42 pitches, so, now, he’s eligible to start on Monday.”
