This season started promising for the Fenwick High School baseball team with victories in eight of the first 12 games. But the Friars have gone into a tailspin since then, having lost their last 10 contests with many of the losses coming via the run-rule.
Friday night at Triton College, Fenwick hoped its annual East Avenue Showdown with Oak Park and River Forest would produce a competitive game as the rivalry usually does. Instead, it was more of the same for the Friars, a 16-2 defeat in six innings.
“Unfortunately, it’s kind of been like that for us this year,” said Fenwick coach Kyle Kmiecik. “We’ve faced a lot of adversity as a team. I’m very proud of the guys that we have, it’s a very resilient group. It’s just unfortunate we’re not able to showcase the talent and how good we really are consistently. That’s what it comes down to.
“We know what we’re getting on the other side against OPRF. Kevin (Campbell) does a nice job with that group and his coaching staff. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us and we make this game bigger than it needs to be. It’s a rivalry game, but when it’s said and done, we’ve got to treat it like any other game.
After OPRF (17-7) knocked out Fenwick starting pitcher Colin Dragus with five runs in the top of the second inning, the Friars (8-14) scored two unearned runs in the bottom half on an infield single with two outs by Johnny Buchman off Huskies’ starter Tucker Henry, which plated Luca Ponzio. When OPRF first baseman Liam Moroney mishandled the throw from third baseman Julian Garcia-Bariel on the play, Michael McMahon also scored.
Fenwick loaded the bases with a Gio Rangel single followed by a walk drawn by A.J. McConnell. But Ethan Gonzalez bounced out to Garcia-Bariel, ending the inning, and the Friars would not have a baserunner the remainder of the game as Henry retired the final 13 batters.
Finn Milder, on in relief of Dragus, pitched 3.1 solid innings to keep Fenwick in the contest. But he allowed a leadoff triple to Oliver Puntillo and a walk to Garcia-Bariel to start the sixth, ending his day.
Liam Cahill entered in relief of Milder. But after Cahill got Zach Goldberg to pop up for the first out, the roof caved in on the Friars as the next nine OPRF batters reached base. In all, the Huskies scored 10 runs in the inning – two charged to Milder and the others to Cahill.
Fenwick is missing some key players to injury like Josh Morgan and J.J. Obaldo, but Kmiecik isn’t using that as an excuse.
“It doesn’t help. (But) we’ve got the guys to really make a run and do well,” he said. “We’ve just got to put it together consistently and figure some things out. We haven’t played a complete game in a while.”
Extensive losing streaks tend to test a team’s self-confidence and belief. Kmiecik admits it’s a challenge keeping his players positive, but he also believes this will be a beneficial learning experience down the stretch.
“This is when you lean on your veterans, your seniors, and thankfully we also have some juniors in their second year of varsity. Those guys have done a really good job of keeping the team together,” Kmiecik said. “It’s one of the closer groups we’ve had in a long time as far as getting along. They really play for each other and for the team, and that’s going to help carry us along as we keep learning from our mistakes.
“Whatever our record says, it is what it is. We have to just continue to focus on getting better each day. Once we get to the playoffs, it’s a hard reset. Everything starts over.”
The road this week doesn’t get easier for Fenwick with games against St. Rita (May 7 away, May 9 at home) and Providence Catholic (away May 11, home May 12).