UNSTOPPABLE FOUR-CE

Hawks capture fourth straight state championship with 2-1 win over Clippers

Matt Metcalf
Posted 6/23/15

Everyone who came out to see game three of the Division I baseball title series at McCoy Stadium on Thursday night between Hendricken and Cumberland certainly got their money’s worth.

The Hawks …

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UNSTOPPABLE FOUR-CE

Hawks capture fourth straight state championship with 2-1 win over Clippers

Posted

Everyone who came out to see game three of the Division I baseball title series at McCoy Stadium on Thursday night between Hendricken and Cumberland certainly got their money’s worth.

The Hawks captured their fourth consecutive title as Gian Martellini’s RBI double in the bottom of the 10th off of Cumberland right-hander Ryan O’Neill sent the Hawks’ faithful home happy, scoring John Willette from second to lift Hendricken to a 2-1 win.  

Martellini’s hit put the end to a sensational pitchers’ duel.

Hendricken’s Matt Kennedy and Cumberland’s Jake Rockefeller each tossed nine innings of one-run ball, including eight shutout innings apiece.

In the top of the ninth, Rockefeller helped out his own cause at the dish. Kyle Opiekun started things off with his third hit of the game, a one-out single off of Kennedy. Rockefeller then broke the ice, swatting a pitch over Jason Comeau’s head in right field, bringing in pinch-runner Nathan Mercure to score the game’s first run.

All of the stars were aligning in order for Rockefeller, but then he gave the Hawks some life, hitting Martellini with a pitch to lead off the bottom half of the ninth.

John Toppa followed with a base hit down the right field line to put runners at the corners with no one out.

That brought Dante Baldelli to the plate, who was looking to even the score. He would hit a screaming line drive, but it was right at Josh Brodeur at shortstop. Brodeur calmly caught the liner but rushed a throw over to first to try to double up Toppa who had wandered off the bag. A good throw would have got him, but Brodeur’s throw sailed over the first baseman’s head, allowing Martellini to score to tie the game at 1.

It looked as if Cumberland would bounce right back, though.

Kennedy came out for the 10th inning, but surrendered a leadoff single to Brandon Croteau, forcing Hendricken to go to the bullpen and bring in senior right-hander Mike Webb.

The first batter that Webb faced was Nick Provost who squared around and laid down a sacrifice bunt. Webb cleanly fielded the ball and made a good throw over to first that was mishandled by Andrew Ciacciarelli, putting runners at the corners with Croteau advancing to third on the mishap.

Tyler Calabro followed with a walk at the top of the order to load the bases with no one out and Cumberland’s No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters coming to bat.

It seemed as if the Clippers would take a one-run lead at the very least, but then Webb saved the game for the Hawks in his final contest in the green and gold as Brodeur popped out, Chris Wright grounded out and Opiekun flew out to right to end the threat.

Suddenly, the Hawks had another life and it was all thanks to Webb.

“He didn’t fluster, he battled and did a great job for us out there,” Hendricken head coach Ed Holloway said. “We had a lot of MVPs today. Without the job that Mike Webb did, we lose the state championship.”

Another senior, Comeau, led off the bottom half of the inning with a perfectly placed bunt single off of O’Neill, who came on to relieve Rockefeller, to jumpstart the Hawks’ offense in the 10th.

Willette was then able to leg out a double play ball to second, reaching safely at first as Cumberland got the force out at second.

Andrew Flint would follow with a walk to bring Martellini to the plate with runners on first and second with one out.

Martellini ripped a fastball from O’Neill over the head of the left fielder to easily score Willette from second, lifting Hendricken to a 2-1 victory.

The senior backstop had struggled previously in the series, squaring balls up but hitting them right at Cumberland fielders.

However, Martellini was able to stick with it and deliver the biggest hit of the season.

“In that at-bat, I was just looking to put the ball up the middle because I knew we had some speed with Willette on second,” Martellini said. “I knew that if I got the ball into the outfield that he was probably going to score, but I was lucky enough to get it over the left fielder’s head. The rest is history.”

Willette, who scored the game-winning run, was named the series’ Most Valuable Player.

Hendricken’s offense struggled a bit in the Final Four and at times throughout the championship series, but Willette was always a constant at the top of the order.

“As a leadoff guy, it’s my job to get them going,” Willette said. “I kind of have to set the tone for a lot of the guys, and when I’m not doing that, it’s going to be tough. Luckily, I put balls in places where they weren’t a few times and got on base to give guys the opportunity to hit me in.”

Willette felt that he shouldn’t have even been holding that MVP trophy, though, as he gave a great deal of credit to the Hawks’ pitching staff which surrendered just four runs in three games at McCoy.

“I don’t think I should even be holding this,” Willette said with a laugh while gripping his MVP trophy. “We call our pitching staff the horses in the stable – they’re reliable every game. We have guys that their ERAs are sub-one. They put forth very consistent efforts and you have to commend them for what they do. They have the hardest job on the field and we’re just here to help them out.”

After Mike McCaffrey dealt in game two to force a decisive game three, Kennedy picked up right where the Hawks’ ace left-hander left off.

In Hendricken’s clincher, Kennedy was unfazed, continuing to throw up zeroes when even the slightest mistake could’ve cost his team the state title.

Kennedy threw 104 pitches over his nine innings of one-run ball. The right-hander yielded seven hits, only one for extra bases, while striking out six.

To do that in front of a big crowd at McCoy is something that Kennedy will never forget.

“It was crazy,” Kennedy said of his performance in game three. “Pitching out here with all of these people – it’s nuts. But you just stick with it and hopefully you come out with the best.”

Everything certainly worked out for the best for Kennedy and Hendricken.

Cumberland had plenty of chances to win, but couldn’t prevent Hendricken from claiming its 20th state championship. Additionally, this year’s championship marked Hendricken’s fourth straight and its seventh in eight years.

The Hawks reign supreme again.

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