RallyNorth.net

Crunch time calls for Swampscott, Fewnick

Wednesday, May, 21 By Phil Stacey
Sports editor

Even if you're not a math whiz, the numbers are pretty simple.

Both the Swampscott and Bishop Fenwick baseball teams have two games remaining in the regular season. Both teams are still on the outside of the Division 3 North playoff picture, looking to squeeze their way in.

Having beaten Gloucester and Saugus in each of the last two nights, Swampscott is now 9-9 and must beat either Marblehead today or Cardinal Spellman Saturday to punch their tournament ticket.

It's a little bit trickier for Bishop Fenwick. At 8-10, the Crusaders have no margin for error. They have to win both games they play in this weekend's Woodman Tournament at the Twi-Field in Danvers to squeak into the postseason.

If you think that's a tall order, you're right. The Crusaders face red-hot Gloucester in Friday's tournament opener. Even if they win that one, the Northeastern Conference South champs from Danvers will likely await them in Sunday night's championship finale.

Swampscott, which at one point was 2-7 and had a six-game losing streak in April, is suddenly one of the hottest teams around, playing like the club that many figured they'd be when the season began.

Last night's victory over Saugus gave the Big Blue four straight wins and put them at .500 for the first time since the season was two games old. Since they lost to Division 1 power Malden Catholic on May 1, they have given up just 16 runs in their last nine games while scoring a combined total of 49.

Swampscott has captured five of its last six contests and seven of its last nine thanks to some terrific pitching, timely defense and | what was missing most in the early going | production at the plate.

"It's all about getting good at-bats. Guys are taking good swings and good pitches now, something we weren't doing earlier," said head coach T.J. Baril. "They're being patient and not trying to do too much in a particular at-bat. Guys are relaxed now; our problem early on is that we weren't."

A big reason for the Big Blue's offensive turnaround has been senior Justin Mitchell. Since being moved into he leadoff spot, Mitchell is seeing the ball much better and had four multiple hit games in his last five heading into last night, with three home runs.

"He's a guy who, when he gets on base, he enables us to do things offensively to get him home," said Baril.

Catcher Danny Nellhaus is also using the patient approach to his advantage; he leads the team in walks and isn't afraid to wait for his pitch, settling for nothing less. Monday against Gloucester, he blasted an opposite field home run to help end the Fishermen's seven-game win streak.

Here's the irony in Swampscott's late-season run: if the Big Blue do get into the playoffs, with their pitching, confidence and momentum, they could end up winning the North sectional.

"The character and the toughness these guys have built over the last few months is definitely a positive for us," said Baril. "They've been through the bad times already, and know they don't want to go back there. We'll play as hard as we can every inning from here on out."

Like the Big Blue, Fenwick began the season slow at 1-5. Winning four of their next five games brought the Crusaders to within a game of .500, but they then dropped four of their next five to sit at 6-10.

Faced with winning four straight to get into the postseason, Fenwick is halfway there after beating Cardinal Spellman (5-4) and Worcester North (9-3) late last week. Now, however, comes the really tough part.

Coach Russ Steeves' team has lost its last four games all by one run. They're also averaging less than three runs per game in their 10 losses, so it's paramount that they break out the bats this weekend if their playoff dreams are to become a reality.