The Fenwick High School baseball and softball teams headed out of town last week for spring break trips where they each faced high-quality competition, and both teams came home with winning records.
The Friars’ baseball team (5-4) spent the week in Panama City, Florida.
“Going 3-1 against solid competition was very positive for us,” said Fenwick coach Kyle Kmiecik, “but more importantly, the trip provided an invaluable experience for the guys to bond. On the field, we showed much resilience and battled each game.”
On April 7, Fenwick prevailed over Henry County (KY) in a wild 22-16 slugfest. Jeremy Munoz had three hits, including a three-run homer in the first, and drove in four runs. Josh Morgan also had a three-run homer and four RBI and scored three runs. Ethan Gonzalez had a two-run homer, and J.J. Obaldo scored three runs.
The next day, Fenwick split a doubleheader with Madison Central (KY), winning the first game 10-7 and losing the second 12-8. In the opener, Elliot Bastedo, who has a team-high batting average of .717, had two hits and Rocco Nero drove in two.
The Friars ended the trip, April 9, with an 8-6 victory over Lexington (KY) Lafayette. Morgan had two hits and two RBI, and Obaldo had two hits and scored twice.
“We had several players step up during the week,” Kmiecik said. “Junior pitcher Colin Dragus stood out in his first varsity start and did well against a very good Kentucky team.
“We saw some key hits from our upperclassmen – Zack Morgan, Beckett Javell, Rocco Nero, and Elliot Bastedo – that really set the tone in our wins. Ethan Gonzalez was phenomenal behind the plate all week and continues to be a main leader for us on and off the field.”
Fenwick softball
At Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the Friars (5-5) won four of their six games during their first spring break trip since 2019.
“We had a great experience,” said Fenwick coach Valerie Jisa. “This was a really good opportunity for our players. I was hoping for a lot of wins; a lot of these teams were really good.”
On April 6, Fenwick won its opening game at Pigeon Forge, 5-0, over Madisonville-North Hopkins (KY). Sofia Kateeb went the distance in the circle, tossing a one-hitter and getting 11 strikeouts. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate, including a solo homer in the third inning for the Friars’ first run.
In the nightcap, Fenwick led Union (KY) Cooper 5-3 going into the seventh. But the Jaguars rallied for three runs to notch a 6-5 victory. There was some carryover in the first game the following day as the Friars were routed by Marshall County (KY), but Kateeb went 3-for-3 with four RBI as Fenwick rebounded in the second game for a 17-2 run-rule victory over Elizabethtown (KY). Gianna Pescatore got the win in the circle, striking out seven in four innings.
After a day off, Fenwick ended the trip, April 9, with two wins: 5-4 over McDowell (PA) and 7-6 over Scott County (KY). Ellie Brady and Kyleena Nowinski each had three hits in the first game, and Jordan Rossi allowed four runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings.
In the final game, Bella Bigham and Alex Purta collected three hits apiece, and Pescatore and Rossi each had two RBI. Kateeb again went all seven innings for the win, posting 13 strikeouts.
“None of the [wins] were pitcher-only games. Everybody had to do something defensively to get them,” Jisa said. “[Marshall County] got out of control, but we could’ve done better and knew we needed to learn from it, so we rallied the rest of the trip.”
Jisa felt it was important for Fenwick to have a team-bonding experience that solidifies chemistry on and off the field. Besides the games, the team attended Easter Mass together and drove one hour to Knoxville on the day off to see the University of Tennessee softball team play Kennesaw State.
With a busy schedule ahead, Jisa feels the trip was very helpful.
“The early rainouts put us in a situation where we’ve got four, five games each week. [The trip] taught me how to pace out our players and use them in the right moments against certain competitors,” she said.