Surprise starter Corbin Berard shows Hendricken's pitching depth as Hawks blank Pilgrim
WARWICK — Corbin Berard wasn’t supposed to start Tuesday’s game, and it certainly didn’t seem like he would close it.
Pilgrim enjoyed a steady stream of traffic on the bases over the first two innings at Pepin Field. Bishop Hendricken’s right-hander looked in major trouble, and his bench had some visible doubts.
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Brendan McCaffrey was up and warming in the bullpen in the top of the second. Berard barely got the first three outs and was wobbling again. It was the last time the Saint Anselm commit was in any real jeopardy in this Division I-A showdown.
Berard dominated the middle stages while the Hawks nicked and cut the Patriots into submission on offense. The result was an 8-0 shutout and the first punch landed in this two-game regular-season series.
Pilgrim, Bishop Hendricken rematch
Thursday’s rematch will see Pilgrim attempt to solve Bishop Hendricken left-hander Alex Clemmey. He’s the expected starter across town — Connor Kennedy was supposed to feature in the opener. The senior was scratched due to illness about 45 minutes before the first pitch, and Berard stepped in rather nicely.
“I was supposed to close,” Berard said. “At least I was prepared to pitch. It’s kind of one of those things where you want to have the ball 24/7 — I wanted the ball either way.”
The Patriots loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first. Sean Gallagher lined to second and Cam Nadeau’s sharp one-hopper was turned into a 4-6-3 double play. Berard survived his first close shave of the day, and a second was soon to follow.
Pilgrim put two more men in scoring position before Berard wriggled free yet again. A pair of strikeouts and Dylan Bourret’s high pop to first started a stretch in which Berard retired 11 straight men. The Patriots managed just a two-out walk in the top of the fifth and a one-out single in the top of the sixth while slipping away for good.
“I just think mentally it gives them a lot of confidence,” Bishop Hendricken coach Ed Holloway said of the early escapes. “They can do the job. That’s what it is — they just get comfortable and relaxed and just keep going.”
'We’ve been swinging the bat really well'
The Hawks netted single runs in three of the first four innings before opening up some daylight. Jared Munoz’s two-run single to left in the bottom of the fifth and Jack LaRose’s two-run triple down the right field line in the bottom of the sixth opened up what was a 3-0 game. Bishop Hendricken scratched out nine hits, stole five bases and benefited from three errors to aid its attack.
“I can’t thank my offense enough,” Berard said. “We’ve had our on-and-off days, but I feel like we’ve been swinging the bat really well.
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"Pitching-wise, knowing your offense is going to take care of business for you, you’re untouchable.”
Bishop Hendricken, Pilgrim and Cumberland all went into Tuesday sharing the division lead at 8-2. The Hawks now hold a slim edge over the Patriots in the loss column and could double it with seven strong innings from Clemmey. Pilgrim battled Bishop Hendricken to a split last season on its way to a semifinal berth in the Interscholastic League playoffs.
“We’re trying to put pressure on the other team to make plays,” Holloway said. “Put the ball in play. If you do that, good things are going to happen.”
Pilgrim 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Bishop Hendricken 101 123 x – 8 9 0
Jack McConnell, AJ Ferreira (5), Jack Smith (6) and Sean Gallagher. Corbin Berard and Brandyn Durand.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bishop Hendricken baseball Corbin Berard always ready to pitch
