On paper, Monday’s game between Pilgrim and Hendricken wasn’t supposed to be close.

But that’s why you play the game, right?

Taking the mound for the Hawks was their ace, Mike McCaffrey, and he was to be opposed by Pilgrim’s No. 4 pitcher, Anthony Cardarelli.

But the Pats proved that they can play with anyone, as they’ve done all year.

Trailing 4-0 in the sixth, Evan Broccoli plated two to trim Pilgrim’s deficit in half. Pilgrim then produced a run on three walks in the seventh, before Hendricken righthander Matt Kennedy came on in relief and induced a fly out with runners on second and third to end the game.

Even though the Hawks were able to hang on for a 4-3 win, Pilgrim head coach Scott Bailey was encouraged by his squad’s willingness to battle until the end against arguably the best team in the state.

“The kids had quality at-bats and they did a good job defensively and pitching today,” Bailey said. “We were a little thin with pitching today, but the kids did a good job on the mound.”

Hendricken head coach Ed Holloway knows that Pilgrim has a legitimate ball club this season, and knew that the game wouldn’t be a walk in the park – no matter who it was throwing.

“Pilgrim has a good team,” Holloway said. “Their three kids pitched well and they made the plays when they had to.”

The miniscule gap on the scoreboard didn’t have anything to do with McCaffrey’s performance, though.

The lefty fanned 12 over six innings of work, while allowing just two unearned runs in that sixth frame.

The senior continues to be the workhorse for the Hawks’ staff.

“McCaffrey’s been great all year,” Holloway said. “His stuff was really good today. But it was a warm day, his pitch count was getting high and he was getting a bit tired, so we decided to take him out after the sixth.”

The Hawks struck first in the second inning.

After John Toppa and Billy Keegan drew walks, they both came around to score on a line drive up the middle by Mike Webb, giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead.

But those were the only two runs that Cardarelli yielded in four innings of work, as the senior gave up just two hits, but Hendricken was able to make him pay for those two walks in the second.

Overall, Cardarelli did his job, keeping his team in the game when Pilgrim was in desperate need of some quality innings from its pitching staff.

Cardarelli provided that.

“Cardarelli’s going to keep you off balance,” Bailey said. “He was out on medical, but he came back and has a great breaking pitch. He’s going to keep you guessing and he’s very effective. We’re going to need him down the run. That’s a huge game for Anthony.”

The Hawks tacked on two more runs to their lead in the fifth off of Pilgrim reliever Darren Grant.

John Willette laced a one-out single and came around to score all the way from second on a passed ball later in the inning.

Toppa then tripled home Nick Feola to up Hendricken’s lead to 4-0.

McCaffrey came back with a strong bottom half of the inning, striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth.

But the Pats were able to string together some more comfortable at-bats in the sixth.

With one out, Brandon Paiva was able to get on base due to an error. He was followed by Chris Ray, who drew a walk after McCaffrey didn’t get the benefit of a close call on the outer half.

That proved to be costly, as Broccoli drove a ball over Dante Baldelli’s head in centerfield with two outs, plating Paiva and Ray to make it a 4-2 game.

And after the Pats quickly retired Hendricken in the top of the seventh, they went back to work at the plate.

Hendricken’s Caleb Wurster started the frame on the bump in search of the save, but had trouble commanding the zone, walking three of the five batters that he faced.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Kennedy came on in search of the final out.

Mike Broccoli would score on a passed ball to make it 4-3, but Kennedy was able to bear down and get Ray to fly out to left field.

“Nothing really bothers him and he came in and challenged him,” Holloway said of Kennedy. “(Ray’s) a really good hitter, too.”

With the win, Hendricken maintained its spot atop the Division-I-North standings with a perfect 9-0 record. The Hawks were at Cranston West on Wednesday, but results were unavailable at press time. They will also host La Salle today at 4 p.m.

Pilgrim, on the other hand, is now 7-4 and was looking to bounce back against one-win Cranston East on Wednesday. Results from that game were also unavailable at press time.

The Pats will be looking to continue their offensive momentum into the coming games, as their at-bats got better and better as the game wore on.

“They’re learning the game and learning to take pitches,” Bailey said of his lineup. “They weren’t chasing anything and they did a good job.”