LYNN — With momentum spreading throughout both dugouts, St. Mary’s welcomed Bishop Fenwick to Fraser Field on Wednesday. The Spartans (4-1) used a balanced offense and stellar defense to hand the Crusaders (4-1) their first loss in a 10-1 final.
But it wasn’t easy. Fenwick struck first in the second inning, thanks to an Odin Garron homer to left field.
“That’s his third home run in four games this season. He hit one out in Swampscott, one against Cardinal Spellman, and then another today,” said Fenwick coach JP Reiling. “I think he has three hits this season — all home runs. He has a lot of power and we’re excited to have him. He’s a senior captain and he has a lot of great things coming ahead for him.”
For a sophomore pitcher, it could be easy to hang your head after a home run. But St. Mary’s Brennan Malloy (6 IP, 5 K, 5 H) was eager to make a statement.
“He’s a sophomore and this is his first time being 1 or 1A and that home run would have shaken some kids — even some of the better ones we’ve had,” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana. “The first pitch of the game was a double in the gap and then he gave up a home run in the second inning. He came into the dugout and he told the guys that they weren’t going to get anymore. What I liked [is that] we had the lead and we wanted to see other guys pitch, but he said he wanted the ball and he wanted to finish the game, so that was a good sign.”
St. Mary’s tied the game in the third inning when Michael DeMaino hit a sac-fly to center field to score Jackson Barrett, who pinch ran for Malloy. From there, Nate Cutone (2-for-3, 2 RBI) recorded a two-run, inside-the-park homer to give the Spartans a 3-1 cushion.
“Nate’s been playing with a lot of confidence. He’s put the work in. He’s a big weight-room kid and football player. He had some success last year, but this offseason, he put the work in and worked on his swing and fielding. We can put him anywhere in the field,” Dana said. “He keeps it real simple. He hits line-drives to right field, deep balls to center field, a home run here, and the game before. He’s been consistent.”
St. Mary’s plated two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, and four in the sixth to put the Crusaders away. Cutone, DeMaino, and Jacob Peterson led the spark with two RBI apiece.
Reiling understands it’s a long season after Wednesday’s “building block.”
“We started off hot at 4-0 and we met a team that was a little better than us today in all platforms,” Reiling said. “We’ve got a long season ahead of us. We have 15 more games coming up. We’re going to use this as a building block. It’s nice to see where we’re at mentally and physically. We’re going to learn from it.”
Dana was happy to match Fenwick’s energy, despite a slow start.
“We weren’t cracking the ball, but when we did get on base, we started to make things happen. When you apply more pressure, you start to get runs across the board.”
Arguably the play of the game came from St. Mary’s Hagen Parent, who made a diving catch in the fifth inning that saved at least one run.
“That’s how he got in the lineup. He hit the other day against Bishop Stang and got on base three times,” Dana said. “He works his butt off in practice and we see that all the time from him. He’s carved his way into the lineup defensively. It’s tough to take him out when you see him make plays like that.”
The Spartans host Malden Catholic Friday at 4 p.m. Fenwick travels to Danvers on Monday with first pitch slated for noon.
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
