Hawks drop title series opener for first loss of season

Matt Metcalf
Posted 6/18/15

Now it’s time to see what the Bishop Hendricken baseball team is really made of.

The Hawks entered game one of the Division I title series at McCoy Stadium on Tuesday night with an unblemished …

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Hawks drop title series opener for first loss of season

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Now it’s time to see what the Bishop Hendricken baseball team is really made of.

The Hawks entered game one of the Division I title series at McCoy Stadium on Tuesday night with an unblemished record, looking primed to run the table en route to a fourth straight title.

Then Cumberland got in the way and took the first game, 3-1.

With the bases loaded in the top of the second, Tyler Calabro ripped a bases-clearing double down the right field line off of Hawks’ starter Anthony Cofone that scored three.

That clutch hit proved to be all that the Clippers would need to take game one.

Hendricken put something together in the bottom of the seventh, scoring one on an RBI groundout from John Willette. The Hawks’ then had the tying run on second with two outs and Gian Martellini up, but Jake Rockefeller got Martellini to ground out to short to end the threat and the game.

Hendricken will now be forced to respond after a loss for the first time all season.

It won’t be easy unless the Hawks start hitting. Over the last three games, which is a total of 26 innings because of a 12-inning semifinal game, they’ve only plated four runs, a rarity for the state’s most prolific offense.

“I don’t think we’re pressing, we’re just not patient at the plate,” Hendricken head coach Ed Holloway said. “It’s kind of something we’ve been going through all year, we’re just not selective in key counts where we could put pressure on the other team. Hopefully we can get better at-bats tomorrow.”

But even with the struggles that the Hawks endured on Tuesday, they were still one hit away from sending the game into extra frames. They had the guy they wanted at the plate to do it as well, but Hendricken just couldn’t come up with that clutch hit that it so direly needed.

“We just didn’t get the job done today,” Holloway said. “It wasn’t just that inning. In the first inning, we left the bases loaded, and in another inning we had second and third. We just needed that clutch hit and they had one clutch hit that decided the game.”

After Cofone worked around a leadoff single by Calabro in the top of the first, it looked as if Hendricken’s offense was ready to strike early and often.

Willette lined a pitch up the middle for a single to start the bottom half of the inning.

Kevin Sutyla then reached when Willette beat out a close play at second to put runners on first and second with no one out.

But Cumberland starter Ryan O’Neill then got Martellini to fly out before he issued a walk to John Toppa to load the bases with one out.

However, O’Neill was able to buckle down and escape the jam, getting Dante Baldelli to pop out to third and Andrew Ciacciarelli to line out to left to keep the Hawks off the board early.

That proved to be critical because the Clippers’ offense went to work in the top of the second.

With two outs and one on, Brandon Croteau and Nicholas Provost hit base knocks to load the bases.

That set up what would be a knockout blow from Calabro, as he laced a ball down the right field line in no man’s land, allowing all three runners to score to give Cumberland a 3-0 lead.

O’Neill then kept the Hawks’ bats quiet through the middle innings.

Hendricken put two runners on in the fourth following singles from Baldelli and Ciacciarelli, but Cumberland’s senior right-hander was able to maneuver his way out of the inning unscathed again.

The Hawks wouldn’t threaten to score again until the seventh.

O’Neill issued a leadoff walk to Billy Keegan, and pinch-hitter Andrew Flint followed with a single to put two on with no one out.

That triggered Cumberland head coach Andrew Tuetken to go to the bullpen and bring in Rockefeller.

The lefty walked the first batter that he faced, Jason Comeau, to load the bases.

Willette then hit a double play ball to third, as the force was made at third but the throw to first was high, allowing Willette to reach safely. The ground out allowed pinch-runner Christian Aybar to score to make it 3-1, leaving runners at first and second with one out.

Sutyla softly grounded out to first to move the runners over, giving Martellini the opportunity to tie the game with a base hit.

But Rockefeller induced the ground out to short from Martellini to secure his team’s game-one win.

The Hawks were back in action for game two against Cumberland on Wednesday night, but results were unavailable at press time. Hawks’ ace Mike McCaffrey was set to take the ball for game two.

Hendricken has put itself in a unique spot, as it truly has its back against the wall now.

“It’s time to see what kind of team we have,” Holloway said. “Honestly, the guys have never talked about being undefeated or anything like that. We’ve talked all year about playing one game at a time and that’s what we’re doing now.”

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