Freshman Hawks win baseball state title

Brenton Bauerle
Posted 6/18/15

“We don’t like to think about [how many championships we’ve won],” said Bishop Hendricken freshman baseball head coach Daniel Rice with a wry smile. “We think it’s bad luck.”

However …

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Freshman Hawks win baseball state title

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“We don’t like to think about [how many championships we’ve won],” said Bishop Hendricken freshman baseball head coach Daniel Rice with a wry smile. “We think it’s bad luck.”

However many the number may be (and it is certainly in the double digits), Hendricken can add one more to the ledger, as the fourth-seeded Hawks defeated Central High School in the freshman state final in a tight 4-2 affair.

The opening frame did not bode well for the Hawks. They were able to score in the top of the first thanks to singles by Connor Kiely and Nicola Salvaggio, aided by two errors, including a passed ball that scored Kiely from third, on the part of Central. However, the Hawks gave that run back and more in the bottom of the inning, as they committed two errors of their own.

Hendricken committed a throwing error to second base, which led directly to a run, and had a potential third error ruled a hit. Those defensive miscues, along with a timely single, allowed Central to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first.

After the tumultuous first inning, the Hawks were able to hold off Central in the bottom of the second after failing to register a baserunner in the top of the inning. Starter Daniel Kennedy settled into a groove, working around another two errors to keep Central at bay while he waited for the Hawks’ bats to come to life.

As luck would have it, he would not need to wait long.

In the top of the third, down 2-1 and having failed to register a baserunner in the second while continuing to struggle defensively, the Hawks needed a steadying presence. They found it in leadoff hitter Kiely, who put up a tenacious 12-pitch at-bat to draw a walk, and later scored to tie the game on a booming double to left-center by Paul Rizzo.

“This team has dealt with adversity all year,” said Rice. “We’ve had injuries, we’ve had positional struggles, at third base, at shortstop. We lost eight games this year, and we’ve never had a freshman team lose eight games. But they really just grew together and formed a bond, and played for each other, and that’s what it’s all about.”

With the momentum back in their favor, the Hawks finally buckled down, as the combination of Kennedy’s stellar pitching and a reinvigorated defense kept Central off the board for the next two innings. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Hendricken’s bats continued to deliver timely hits, as a double in the top of the fourth by Mason Carr scored Robert Vaillancourt to give the Hawks a lead they would never relinquish.

With Kennedy having pitched brilliantly but, according to Rice, being held to a three- to four-inning limit, the Hawks turned to Salvaggio to finish off the game on the mound, and he did not disappoint. He allowed only one baserunner over his three innings to seal the win and the championship.

Up at McCoy Stadium, the Hendricken varsity squad is battling for yet another championship to add to its ever-growing legacy. However, on Tuesday, it was the Hendricken freshmen rushing the field in jubilation. Knowing the Hawks’ program, it may not be long until the Hawks’ freshmen are winning championships on a much bigger stage.

“Top to bottom, Hendricken is the best baseball program in the state,” said Rice. “And we don’t say that to brag, we say it because we earn it. But we couldn’t do anything without these boys, and the great work ethic and character that they have.”

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