St. Joseph by the Sea’s Angelo Navetta was the hard-luck loser. (Robert Cole)
Wednesday night’s contest against St. Joseph by the Sea was uncharacteristic of Fordham Prep. The potent Rams struggled mightily at the plate, failing to produce with runners in scoring position.
So Pat Deane made an uncharacteristic move – he called for a suicide squeeze for the first time this spring with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth.
“It was the right scenario,” he said. “The stars aligned for us.”
The final result – No. 4 Fordham’s thrilling 3-2, nine-inning victory over No. 5 Sea in the two teams’ CHSAA Class AA championship round opener at Fordham University – was more characteristic of the Rams’ successful season.
It was an odd ending considering the crisp baseball and standout pitching from both sides. With Steve Fondu running on the pitch, reliever James Gurrieri let loose a wild pitch that sailed behind Mick Regan’s head. Fondu easily scored the game-winning run.
“They made me look good,” Deane said. “I just told all the parents, you’re all shaking my hand, but if it didn’t work you would be chasing me out of here.”
Sea coach Gordon Rugg considered a pitchout, but with Gurrieri already behind 1-0 in the count, he opted not to.
“If he threw a strike the first pitch it may have been different,” the longtime coach said. “I can’t go behind 2-0 [there].”
For the bulk of the contest’s nine innings, Fordham’s Sean McNamara and Sea’s Angelo Navetta matched one another pitch for pitch, though in different fashion. McNamara went the entire nine in that understated way of his, working through the Sea lineup after a slow start with workmanlike precision.
He only struck out one, but he didn’t walk a batter and scattered nine hits, seven of them singles. He grew stronger the further the game went, not allowing more than a single base-runner over the final three innings.
“I guess you could say I was tired, but I got a huge adrenaline rush that kept me going,” the big righty said. “I settled down. I stared off trying to do too much. I became more consistent and threw strikes.”
Navetta, meanwhile, entered the game an unknown, having pitched just 10 innings all year. The former Little League World Series star was more than up to the challenge, retiring the first six batters he faced, working out of one impossible jam after another by reaching back for blistering fastballs or dropping in hammer curveballs. He allowed nine hits, struck out eight and walked one in 8-1/3.
“He’s gonna be the real deal, that kid,” Sea coach Gordon Rugg said of Navetta, who also had two hits and an RBI. “Great, great performance – that’s a very good team over there.”
He stranded runners at third with no outs in the third and fourth innings, striking out the side in fact in the fourth. He couldn’t escape trouble in the fifth when Kevin Flynn ended up at third when Gonchar misplayed his soft single to right. Regan followed with a run-scoring single to square the contest at 2-all and it remained that way.
Navetta’s undoing was cramps in the ninth, after Vinny Capone led off with a single and Fondu reached on a well-placed push bunt. He came up lame after Flynn fouled back a breaking ball and was unable to continue.
“That put a damper on it,” Deane said. “The kid didn’t get his just due.”
Gurrieri came on with a 2-2 count and promptly walked Flynn. Over the previous few innings, Deane told his players if they get a runner to third with less than one out to look for the squeeze sign. When the speedy Fondu reached third and with Regan, capable of dropping down a bunt, at the plate, Deane made the call.
Fordham (14-7) mobbed Fondu at the plate, celebrating the draining and emotional contest. The Rams get a rematch with No. 1 Xaverian on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at St. John’s University while Sea (14-5) meets No. 8 All Hallows back at Fordham at 6:30 p.m.
Xaverian and Fordham, the two powerhouse division winners, met in the seeding round on Saturday, a game won by the Clippers, 3-2, in comeback fashion.
“We worked all year to do this,” Fondu said. “We feel we can go all the way.”