Fordham Prep’s Steve Fondu tossed a complete-game, five-hitter. (Denis Gostev)
When the CHSAA Class AA baseball championship round was set, the first thing Steve Fondu noticed was the possible matchup in the winner’s bracket. If No. 4 Fordham Prep and top-seeded Xaverian both won their openers, the two would meet again.
The Furman-bound right-hander was beating the Clippers last Saturday in the seeding round before he was pulled from the start after six innings and his bullpen lost the lead.
“We knew we had that first game,” he said. “It was a tough loss. We really wanted to come back and get revenge.”
Fondu got his retribution. He made the most of the rematch, going the distance in an impressive, come-from-behind 9-3 victory in the championship round winner’s bracket at St. John’s on Thursday night. He allowed five hits, walked two, struck out eight and retired the final eight batters he faced and nine of the last 10.
“Once he gets in a groove like that, he’s hard to hit,” Fordham coach Pat Deane said. “He spotted his fastball, got ahead in his counts, he didn’t walk anybody. You can go down the line.”
Said Fondu: “No way I was letting him take me out — no chance. I could be at 150 [pitches].”
With the win, Fordham (15-7) moves on to face No. 6 Iona Prep, a 3-2, nine-inning winner over No. 2 St. Raymond, on Sunday with the winner advancing to next weekend’s championship game.
“Who wouldn’t want that with a chance to go to the ‘chip?” Fordham shortstop Andrew Velazquez said, referring to Iona, the Rams’ rival. “If we play like we played today, we’ll be fine. I don’t see us losing.”
Deane admitted it was a tough decision pulling Fondu from the seeding game, but he had thrown 105 pitches under a hot sun and wanted to keep him fresh for the games that counted, not to mention not overextend him.
“It wasn’t an elimination game,” Deane said. “If I ever did anything to jeopardize that kid’s career in college, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
Fondu was at his best on Thursday, 24 hours after he scored the game-winning run in Fordham’s dramatic 3-2, nine-inning victory over No. 5 St. Joseph by the Sea. After he was touched up for a two-run single in the first inning by John DeAngelis and a run-scoring double by Gabe Hernandez in the second, he settled down and began to work ahead in the count. He spotted his fastball well and attacked Xaverian.
“A lot of people might not know, but Furman is going to be surprised by what they get on the mound in him,” Velazquez said. “I like playing behind him.”
Fordham’s potent lineup came roaring back against Xaverian (19-2) pitchers John Pena and Frank Kaplan, giving Fondu more than enough of a cushion.
The Virginia Tech-bound Velazquez led the charge with three hits, three stolen bases, four runs scored and an RBI. Catcher Zach Leone and first baseman Jack Sexton added two-run singles, part of the Rams’ explosive 12-hit barrage.
“When we play like we did today, I don’t think anybody can beat us,” Fondu said. “We hit the ball, played great defense; I don’t think we made an error.”
Velazquez, the dynamic leadoff man, was in the middle of it all on the offensive end, creating havoc with his speed and furthering rallies in the third and sixth. In the third, he was caught in a rundown on a Ryan Mahoney grounder but Julian Lanfranco botched the rundown, enabling Velazquez to take third base. He promptly scored on an error and Sexton pulled Fordham even with a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Velazquez’s bunt single came before Sexton’s two-run single. He also drilled an RBI single in the seventh, nearly taking Kaplan’s head off with the frozen rope.
“In my mind, he’s the best player in the city and one of the best players in New York [State],” Fondu said of Velazquez.
Velazquez carries himself that way and his teammates feed off of it, Deane said. When he is driving the ball, taking the extra base, the entire dugout comes alive. That was clearly the case against Xaverian, the team many fingered as a title favorite. Fordham, however, looked the part Thursday night.
“We got a little swagger now,” Velazquez said.