While the trip to Florida was likely blessed with warm weather, the Fenwick baseball team didn’t exactly find blissful enjoyment on the ballfield.
The Friars won just 1-of-4 games at the Disney Wide World of Sports Tournament held in Orlando, Fla., over the school’s spring break this week.
The Friars capped off the roadtrip with a 2-1 loss to Summit Country Day School of Ohio on Thursday.
Fenwick lefty Cal Laird fanned 11 batters in six innings, but the Friars struggled to score runs. In the fourth inning, Zach Laszkiewicz’s line drive single to right drove in Kristian Meyer for the team’s only score of the game.
Fenwick threatened in the top of the seventh when Bobby Hogan led off the inning with a single to centerfield. Two batters later, Brian Keegan lined a shot to right field but a flyout and strikeout ended the rally.
Fenwick ace Kevin Pullia lasted just three innings against New Jersey’s Rancocas Valley, allowing five earned runs off six hits as the Friars fell 10-6 after holding a 4-1 lead. Fenwick went up 1-0 off Vince Napolitano’s RBI single that drove in Gino Cavalieri in the first inning. The Friars scored three more runs in the second. Kevin Claffy, Meyer, and Paul O’Toole all drove in runs in the inning.
In the second round of the tournament, Fenwick suffered its first loss on the season in rough fashion, falling 14-1 to McGill Toolen of Mobile, Ala.
The Friars opened the tournament by crushing McQuaid Jesuit of Rochester, N.Y., 7-2. O’Tool and Claffy (3-for-3) both drove in two runs apiece in that win, while Laird earned the victory on the mound by allowing just two hits and a walk in five innings.
That 700-career victory still remains elusive for head coach Dave Hogan, who is in his 34th season coaching baseball for the Friars. His total is currently at 697 victories.
Fenwick hosts St. Laurence on April 10 (4:30 p.m.) and travels to Brother Rice on April 11. They return to the Dominican Priory in River Forest on April 13 to host Providence at 2:30 p.m.
