QUINTIN JAMES
Special to The Leader
The Fredonia baseball team finished off its Florida spring training trip for the Russ Matt Invitational with a record of 5-8. Even though the Blue Devils finished with a record under .500 this past trip, a lot of positives were taken from the trip, and now they have a sense of who will get playing time this season and who proved that they belong.
They started out playing a double header vs. SUNY Canton, where they split the doubleheader. In the first game, the Blue Devils unleashed an offensive explosion, scoring 13 runs to win 13-1. Returning junior Zachary Jordan pitched six innings, only allowing one run on two hits, while striking out nine. Sophomore Michael Prentice went 3-5 with two doubles and four RBIs. Sophomore Ciro Frontale and senior Vincent Sherman also had three hits, as well, as the Blue Devils steamrolled their way to victory. The second half of the double header didn’t go the Blue Devils’ way, as they lost 4-3. The lead was close throughout, and Canton won on a walkoff in the seventh inning. Frontale continued his hot streak, going two for three. Senior Ryan Carmody went two for three with a RBI in the losing effort.
Day two of the Invitational saw the Devils play another doubleheader against Ursinus. They would play it close but drop both games on that day. The first game was, again, tight, but the Blue Devils, again, lost in another one run game. Junior Robert Graczyk got the start but didn’t last long. He only went one and two thirds innings, giving up three runs — all earned — and four walks.
Senior Thomas Morris came in relief and gave up three runs in two innings, as the pitching was not good on that day. Junior Kyle Sherman added three hits and three RBIs.
The Devils held the lead 5-3 in the fifth but allowed three runs to come across in the bottom half of the frame. They tied the game up in the seventh just to lose on a walkoff in the ninth. The second game was another close one for the Blue Devils and another close loss that came down to the last inning in a 3-2 loss. Freshman Mike Carmody had a hit and an RBI while also playing good defense as the starting catcher, throwing out a runner.
On day three, the Blue Devils played New England College. The Devils won 6-1 in an all around good game. Ryan Carmody and junior Quinn Danahy both had three hits and a RBI, and Michael Prentice and Cino Frontale both had two hits in the winning performance. Joe Korszun got the start and went six strong innings, only allowing one run while striking out four. Jake Harford came in for the save, throwing three scoreless innings while striking out four.
Day four, the Blue Devils played Maine Farmingdale, and, like the other losses, this one was a close one run game. A 4-3 loss saw the Blue Devils blow another lead late, this time coming in the eighth inning and having another game get away from them. Vincent Sherman and Ryan Carmody had two hits apiece. A two run double by Farmingdale’s Jimmy Parks gave the Beavers a 4-3 lead in the eighth, and the Blue Devils couldn’t come back.
Day five of the Invitational saw the Blue Devils play another double-header, this time against Hamilton. In the first game, The Devils won on a walk off single by Ryan Carmody after his brother Mike singled in the tying runs in the bottom of the seventh. Ryan ended up with three hits and Mike with two and three RBIs. Vincent Sherman also added in three hits. The second part of the double-header saw the Blue Devils take a big loss with a score of 12-5. Five pitchers were used in that game, and Hamilton had 14 hits in the game.
The Blue Devils then played a little SUNYAC friendly play against the Plattsburgh Cardinals. They would play three games in two days against them, starting with a double header on the first day, where they would split the game with them.
Game one saw Zachary Jordan go seven innings only allowing one run on six hits. Senior Joe DiLeo came in and pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Frontale went two for three with a RBI. The Blue Devils recorded seven hits in the first game. The second game saw the Blue Devils lose another one run game. They struck first in game two and took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth when Frank Buska hit a three run home run. The Blue Devils had 11 hits in the game, but lost the game in the last inning when Plattsburgh’s Mike Vargues singled into left field with the bases loaded.
The next day, these two teams went at it again with the Blue Devils losing another one run game. The Devils had a 5-4 lead heading into the eighth inning but allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal the deal for them for the sixth one run loss on the season. Mike Carmody had two hits on the day, while Frontale continued his hot hitting with three hits and two RBIs. The Devils had a chance to tie the game in the ninth, but Mike Prentice grounded out to third with a runner on second to end the game.
The Blue Devils finished the Invitational with another double double against Franklin and Marshall. The Blue Devils split the games on the day, losing the first game 8-4 and winning the second 3-1. The first game, senior Erik Krohl had a two-run single in the second inning, and senior Ricky Mendiola hit a two-run pinch hit home run in the seventh inning; but it wasn’t enough, as the Franklin and Marshall offenses were too much.
The second game saw the Blue Devils end the trip with a 3-1 win. Freshman Bailey Gauthier shut down the door on the game, striking out the side with runners on base in a tight 3-1 game. His save was a long one, as he threw three shutout innings. All of the three runs came in the fourth inning, starting with a Krohl RBI double and a wild pitch followed by a SAC fly.
The Devils finished the week 5-8 and showed promise of being a very good team. Most of their losses were one run games, which means they were in all of their games, but just need to work on finishing and holding leads.
The players improved dramatically and became better as a team, leading up to a season that should be very fun to watch as they put it all together. Fredonia heads out on the road for a double header against Hilbert College on March 25 in Hamburg, NY.