Hawks hold on in early showdown with Rams

Matt Metcalf
Posted 4/17/14

Hendricken staved off a late La Salle comeback at Ray Pepin Field Monday afternoon to hang on for a 9-6 win over the rival Rams. The Hawks improved their record to 4-0 on the season, and they now own …

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Hawks hold on in early showdown with Rams

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Hendricken staved off a late La Salle comeback at Ray Pepin Field Monday afternoon to hang on for a 9-6 win over the rival Rams. The Hawks improved their record to 4-0 on the season, and they now own victories over presumed contenders Cranston West and La Salle.

The Hawks were clicking on all cylinders early, with starting pitcher Mike McCaffrey fanning four out of the first five batters he faced and the offense jumping on Rams’ ace right-hander Chris Dandeneau right away.

Senior second baseman Ryan Rotondo got things started for the Hawks in the bottom of the first with a single up the middle. After the Rams failed to turn a double play on a ground ball by John Toppa that would’ve ended the inning, catcher Gian Martellini ripped a triple over the center-fielder’s head, scoring Toppa and giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

McCaffrey quickly retired the side in the top of the second, allowing the offense to get back to work. Dante Baldelli led off the inning by lacing a ball that one-hopped the right center-field fence for a double. Shortstop John Willette then plated Baldelli with a single. Left-fielder Christian Aybar followed with a single of his own, before Toppa brought both of them home with a double down the right-field line to make it a 4-0 game.

However, the Rams were determined to chip away at their deficit. La Salle answered the Hawks’ three-run inning with one of their own on RBI hits by Ryan Lynch and Tyler Walsh, while Dandeneau added a sacrifice fly to cut the Hawks’ lead to 4-3. The Rams looked poised to add more runs as well, but McCaffrey made a big pitch to strike out a La Salle batter and escape the jam.

Hendricken head coach Ed Holloway thought his starter threw a good game against a solid La Salle lineup.

“He did a good job,” Holloway said. “He started fast and did well and then they started to hit balls in spots where we couldn’t make plays. They gave him a tough inning and it was big that he got out of it without any further damage.”

The Hawks’ offense backed McCaffrey in the bottom half of the third inning by getting two runs back. Brady Chant led off the inning with a triple and then the Rams’ coaching staff opted to intentionally walk Baldelli. That set up a double by designated hitter Sam Boulanger that plated Chant and Baldelli to increase the Hawks’ lead to 6-3.

The Rams looked to be set up for a big inning in the top of the fourth, when McCaffrey surrendered a single and a walk to lead off the inning. However, sophomore Matt Kennedy came on in relief to get out of the jam and strand both La Salle base-runners.

The Hawks extended their lead once again in the bottom of the fourth inning on RBI hits by Baldelli and Martellini and an RBI groundout by Chant, making it a 9-3 game.

“We’ve been hitting the ball well up and down the lineup,” Holloway said. “We have a good hitting team, but we hadn’t faced anyone as good as Dandeneau, so you didn’t know if that was going to be a difference. Good pitching stops good hitting. We did a good job with him, he’s tough and he pitched well, but we got some big hits.”

La Salle would answer once again. After a pair of singles and a walk in the top of the fifth, Broderick Santilli laced a double that cleared the bases, cutting the Rams’ deficit to 9-6.

After the Rams held the Hawks off the board in the bottom of the sixth, they led off the top of the seventh with a single and a walk from the No. 8 and 9 batters. That prompted Hendricken to go to the bullpen and bring in senior southpaw Christian Travers, who shut the door to record the save.

With McCaffrey throwing just three innings, Holloway knew he’d have to get big innings out of his bullpen.

“Kennedy pitched tough and hung in there,” Holloway said. “He didn’t have his best stuff, but he did a good job. Then Travers came in during a pressure situation and got their one, two, and four hitters out, so he did a nice job.”

With the win, the defending state champions passed another test on the heels of the victory over Cranston West.

“It’s a good game to win for us,” Holloway said. “With that being said, this game’s history now and we’ll just have to look towards North Providence on Wednesday.”

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