Solid start
Senior allows one run in opening-day victory
The Mount Saint Charles baseball team opened the season Saturday morning with a 6-2 victory over Juanita Sanchez. Alex Hale, left, worked five-plus solid innings to earn the win.
PROVIDENCE — Given the fact Mount St. Charles had taken to an outdoor diamond only once since practice sessions began back in late March, it did pretty well for itself on a raw, windy Saturday.
In its Division II opener, senior tri-captain and righty starter Alex Hale went five full innings and surrendered just four hits, an earned run and four walks while fanning a half-dozen during a satisfying 6-2 victory over Juanita Sanchez High at Richardson Field.
The Mounties knocked a mere five hits, though Hale finished 1-for-3 with an RBI; senior Jake Glod 1-for-1 with two walks, four stolen bags (including one of home) and three runs scored; and sophomore Isaiah Lee 2-for-4 with a theft and RBI.
“This was only our second time on an actual field this season; we’ve had to practice in the gym because the weather has been such a huge factor, and our field has been under water,” stated first-year skipper Paul Jacques, who took over the reins after heralded skipper Tom Seaver retired after last spring’s campaign.
“The last time we were on a field was March 30, in a scrimmage at Wheeler,” he added. “We haven’t had any practices outside, so what the boys did here, I’m extremely happy with their collective performance.
“These kids were just itching to get back onto the field, and I know they were really glad to (Saturday). I could tell on the bus ride down here. Everyone was upbeat and excited. Nobody was lagging behind; everyone was ready.”
Other key offensive outings cane from senior tri-captain Joey Barter (two walks, sacrifice fly, hit-by-pitch); sophomore Chris Meisner (0-for-2, walk, hit-by-pitch, RBI); and fellow senior tri-captain Joe Sanchioni (1-for-4).
“Alex pitched extremely well, especially given the cold and windy conditions,” Jacques noted. “Everything was working for him – the fastball, cutter, curveball. He did great out there.”
MSC didn’t need much time to take the lead, as senior Jake Glod drew a one-out walk in the top of the first, then took second on a wild pitch from senior righthander Adrian Collado. Barter also walked, and Glod raced home when Hale crushed a double to the left-center gap.
The Cavaliers, however, fought right back to tie it in the back half. Collado blooped a one-out hit to left, and classmate Marcos Germosen smoked an opposite-field twobagger to right to send Collado to third. Carlos Grullon walked to load the bases, and – with two down – Hale yielded another “freebie” to plate Collado.
Jacques’ crew tacked on another in the third, but it could have plated so many more. Collado walked both Glod and Barter, and Hale reached on an infield error to juice the bags. Sanchioni popped out to catcher Germosen, though Meisner walked to score Glod.
With the bases still jammed, though, Collado fanned freshmen Tim Kenney and Tom Bourque to escape the jam.
The Mount rallied for two more in the fourth off of sophomore reliever Josh Recio, and it started with Lee’s hit to left. He hustled to second on a wild pitch, and sophomore Alex Gonfrade walked. Glod’s stellar sacrifice bunt pushed the runners into scoring position, and Barter’s sacrifice fly to left plated Lee.
Seconds later, Gonfrade sprinted in on a second wild offering to give MSC the 4-1 cushion.
In the fifth, Grullon ripped what appeared to be a double to the left-center hole, but the left fielder Kenney tracked it down and rifled a toss to shortstop Glod, who relayed to Lee at second to get Grullon by two steps.
The Mounties added another in the sixth when Glod reached on an infield single and stole second. Barter was hit by Recio, and Glod immediately robbed third. When Barter walked off first in an attempt to draw a throw to second, and Germosen acquiesced. As soon as he did, Glod raced home on the delayed steal, and Barter moved up.
Sanchioni followed with a base hit to left, but Jose Torres threw a seed to the plate to catch Barter.
In the seventh, the visitor increased the lead to 6-1 when Torres struck leadoff batter Meisner, and junior Josh Slaney pinch-ran for him.
Slaney moved to second on Kenney’s bounder to first, then came in on Lee’s ground single to left.
Senior James Belisle relieved Gonfrade in the bottom of the seventh and got himself into a jam. With one out, Collado singled to left, and Germosen drilled his second double down the left-field stripe to score him. Grullon chipped an infield hit and Kelvin Hernandez reached on an infield miscue to not only fill the bases but also bring the potential tying run to the plate in junior Jeison Munoz.
Belisle, nevertheless, whiffed him, then forced Kilver Soto to ground to the hill to end it.
“We changed our strengths a little bit offensively,” Jacques explained. “Because the wind was blowing in so hard, we couldn’t rely on hitting it to the gaps, so went more with hit-and-runs, stolen bases and bunts.
“In the end, it worked really well. Like I said, the boys cane up big. We’re thrilled, but – obviously – there are things I need to critique. We still have a lot to work on, but we’ll take it.”
Mount St. Charles 101 201 1–6 5 1 Juanita Sanchez 100 000 1–2 83 Alex Hale, Alex Gonfrade (6), James Belisle (7) and Tom Bourque. Adrian Collado, Josh Recio (4), Jose Torres (7) and Marcos Germosen. 2B – Hale, Germosen 2.