LAWRENCE: Fitzell pitching in for Cardinals

by Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Kevin Fitzell is still a capable hitter, but it is his pitching that makes him invaluable to the Lawrence High School baseball team.
   Pitching became his focus not long after he took up the game.
   ”I’ve always been really serious about it,” said the Cardinals junior. “The more I play, the more it seems like something I want to be serious about.”
   Last year, Fitzell was part of an LHS team that won just five games. It was an adjustment period for him and the sophomore-rich Cardinals.
   ”I’m still trying to get used to pitching on varsity,” Fitzell said. “I didn’t have as much confidence as I would have liked. I learned from (current Lehigh University freshman) Danny Ciccone. I worked on my pitches. I have a lot more confidence. I’m able to get through jams I wouldn’t have probably last year.”
   There haven’t been many jams so far for Fitzell, who has been dominant in three outings. He has not lost and has picked up two wins while securing his spot as the staff ace.
   ”Kevin is very methodical and very technical in his approach,” said LHS head coach Chris Gresko. “He’s a true pitcher. He’s a student of the game. He knows what he has to do and how he has to do it.
   ”When he’s on the mound, he really gives the team a boost. We know we’re going to get a good outing from Kevin Fitzell. We just have to come up with the run support.”
   For the third time this season, the Cardinals found just enough support, even if it didn’t give Fitzell the win. The right-hander went seven innings against Allentown on Monday and allowed just one unearned run while striking out five before LHS forced extra innings with a run in the bottom of the seventh. He and Allentown ace Ed Ras left after seven innings with the game knotted, 1-1.
   ”I felt good,” Fitzell said. “My control was a little off today. I was just trying to keep the team in the game and they delivered. It was a big game for us.
   ”I felt like it was going to be a close game. I knew Ras was a great pitcher. I wanted to keep it close and hopefully we’d be able to eek it out in the end.”
   Eek wouldn’t quite describe it as the Cardinals got a grand slam from Anthony Russ in the bottom of the eighth to win it, though the big hit went down as a two-run double for a 3-1 win because a runner missed home plate in the excitement of the celebration before Russ crossed it.
   ”I felt once we tied the game we had the upper hand,” Fitzell said. “We had the momentum going into extra innings. Once Ras came out of the game, that helped. We were having trouble getting anything on the board against him.
   ”A win is a win, whether we win by 10 or by one. The close games help when we win them. They’re tough when we lose. A game where we win like today in extra innings really gives us more momentum. It gives us more fire.”
   The bats came alive for Lawrence just in time. In the seventh, Paul Grant singled and Ryan Kmiec walked before Doug Sensi delivered a looping RBI single.
   ”He came off the bench to put the ball in play,” Gresko said. “It shows a lot of focus. To come in and do a job like that in a pressure situation, you have to give him a lot of credit.”
   In the eighth, Jason Adams and Richard Toto singled before Pat Fedorko walked to load the bases for Russ. He launched a home run that gave James Lee the win in relief of Fitzell.
   ”Kevin kept us in the game,” Gresko said. “Just to stay in that position to win, he did a great job.”
   The win helped the Cardinals improve to 3-2 going into Wednesday’s scheduled game against West Windsor-Plainsboro North after Ledger deadline. LHS might have been 4-1 if it weren’t for surrendering a six-run lead against Montgomery High in a 10-9 loss before getting back on track against Allentown.
   ”That was a tough one,” Fitzell said. “It feels good to turn it around. Hopefully we can take the momentum the rest of the week and pick up another win or two.”
   Fitzell has become a go-to pitcher when the Cardinals need a big win. He allowed just two runs in a 3-2 LHS comeback win over PHS to open the season. He struck out eight in six innings of a 2-0 win over Hopewell Valley. He’ll be forced to take on the top teams this season as the new ace.
   ”It comes with the package,” Fitzell said. “I do well under pressure. I like to feed off it. It helps me out, if anything.
   ”It feels great,” he added of winning. “I’m happy I’m getting the opportunities to do this and help out my team as much as possible. It feels good to get some wins.”
   It’s only two weeks into the regular season, but Kevin Fitzell has made a quick impression on LHS opponents. Allentown was the latest to be entranced.
   ”This was pretty much his third complete game,” Gresko said. “It’s pretty much unheard of for us. His offseason work ethic and his approach to the game is enjoyable to watch.”
   It has led to impressive results in-season, and it’s just a beginning.
   ”Last year we had a lot of sophomore starters,” Fitzell said. “It’s almost the same team, one year older. One year older, one year more mature, and next year’s going to be even the same thing. We’re going to have almost the same team. I’m really confident about this year and especially next year.”