|
| | | | | |  | |  |
| | |  | Pickens' Perspective: Falcons Teamwork Takes Them To Finals |
|
| Posted By: Jonathan Servilla on 2008-06-13 15:20:50 EST | Email Story | Flag As Spam | Comments (0) |
|
Fairfield Citizen News
Staff Reports Article Launched: 06/06/2008 10:03:13 AM EDT
Standing at the Ludlowe tennis courts covering girls' tennis on May 13, I bumped into Ludlowe Athletic Director Dave Schulz. That day, the Falcon baseball team had lost its third consecutive game, a 3-1 loss to Trumbull, after winning 14 straight. I asked Schulz: "What happened to your baseball team." "We're probably the most overachieving team in the conference," Schulz told me. "Who is our ace on the mound? Who is our star player?" Teamwork has been the modus operandi of the Falcons' baseball team all year. The Falcons entered this year as the favorite to win the FCIAC, and ever since Ludlowe lost its first game of the season on April 2 against Notre Dame-Fairfield, the Falcons have had a new hero in just about every game. Closer Logan Hartman has locked down five games, losing only one. Ace starter Kevin Keys is 7-2, with a microscopic 1.97 ERA. Fellow co-captain and USC-bound senior Mike Paloian leads the team with a .456 batting average. But Hartman, Paloian and Keys are the stars on this team. The Falcons' role players are the real reason why Ludlowe is one win away from their first state championship as Ludlowe High School. Fairfield High School won the class LL in 2002. Starting shortstop Craig Rittberg has batted ninth all season for the Falcons. Rittberg is second on the team with a .423 batting average. Left fielder Jordan Hagel bats cleanup for Ludlowe and leads the team with 25 runs batted in. Catcher Jack Graham is only batting .150, but he is sure-handed behind the plate and is a major reason why the Falcons' staff has a 2.03 ERA. "We're a good team," starting right fielder Jon Servilla said. "Everybody picks each other up." Ahh yes, did I forget to mention Servilla? Ludlowe is 17-1 with the scrappy No. 2 hitter in their lineup, and when he missed six games with a groin injury toward the end of the season, the Falcons went 1-5. Servilla has come back even stronger since his injury. In the three state playoff games, he is 4-for-10, with two runs scored, two stolen bases and an RBI. Servilla also made a diving catch to end Saturday's, 6-2 win over East Haven. "He's a great outfielder and the fastest kid I think I've ever seen," Paloian said of Servilla. "When he gets in the game he just lights everyone up and gets everyone excited." "We were a different team without him," head coach Keith O'Rourke said of Servilla. Third baseman Rob Ferrara leads the team with seven doubles and has played in every game. Sophomore utility player Tom Nagy has hit .417, with 10 runs batted in, including three in the playoffs. First baseman Conor Roach has reached base six times in 11 plate appearances in the playoffs, scoring four runs. "Everybody picked it up when it came playoff time," Servilla said. But Ludlowe has been more than just bats and starting pitching. Reliever John Fitsch leads the team with 13 appearances, but has given up just six earned runs. Fitsch threw three scoreless innings in the 6-2 win over East Haven. Hartman has two saves this postseason. Senior pitcher Pierce Onthank has been stellar out of the bullpen, and even got a win in a spot start against St. Joseph. and Josh Orosz has the best win percentage for Ludlowe starting pitching. He has gone 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA. What is most impressive is that O'Rourke is unsure that his team has played its best, even through a 14-game win streak that spanned the majority of the season. "I've been saying that even when we were in the midst of a 14-game win streak, this team hasn't peaked yet," O'Rourke said. "This team isn't close to peaking. The talent is here to beat anybody." "We're starting to reach our potential," Keys said. "Our max." This team may not the No. 1 caliber starter of a Trumbull, or McMahon or even Staples. The Falcons may not have the bats of Stamford, and may not have compiled the record of Class L counterpart Guilford, but they've continuously found ways to win. And if they can figure out how to win just one more seven-inning game against scrappy Jonathan Law, they'll be the Class L champions in baseball in the year 2008. |
|
|
|
| |
| Tags: Baseball, Triple, base running, rbi, stolen bases, hits |
|
| Posted in baseball, high school sports, men's athletics |
|
| Related Posts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | |  | |  |
| |
| More Posts From Jonathan | | | |
| |
