BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY JEFFGRANIT staff Bishop Ahr’s Dan Fitzpatrick gives his best effort in chasing down a fly ball, but can’t quite make the catch during the Trojans’ loss to J.F. Kennedy on Saturday in Iselin. ISELIN – A 5-4 win over Bishop Ahr on Saturday gave the John F. Kennedy High School baseball team its first win of the season after opening the spring with two straight losses.
Starting pitcher Rafael Cordero was knocked around by Bishop Ahr’s Lee Cavico in the first inning when Cavico’s two-run homer gave the Trojans an early 2-0 lead.
“Rafael gave up those two runs right off the bat, but then he settled in really well,” JFK head coach Jerry Smith said. “He went the distance walking just three batters while striking out 11.”
Cordero was also productive at the plate collecting three hits and scoring two runs. He evened his record on the hill this season to 1-1. He took his loss in a relief appearance against Middlesex.
“He’s mostly been playing shortstop, but he’s taking on a big pitching role for us this year,” Smith said. “He really showed some poise against Bishop Ahr.”
Considering Cordero gave up a game-winning home run in his relief appearance versus Middlesex and was tagged by Cavico in his next visit to the mound, his ability to maintain his composure and go the distance Saturday solidified his position as an ace of the staff.
Kennedy’s Brian Schroeder knocked in two runs in the win, and teammate Vin Marciano’s two-out single in the first inning tied the game at two and helped get the Mustangs back on track.
Bishop Ahr’s Mike Fallon took the loss. Fallow went 2-4 at the dish with one RBI. Teammate Steve Godowski knocked in a run off a RBI-double.
In the loss to Middlesex earlier last week, JFK fought to get back into the game after falling behind 4-1 in the early going. After tying the game at four in the top half of the sixth inning, JFK had no answer when Middlesex took a 5-4 lead in its half of the inning.
The Mustangs opened the season with an 11-7 loss to Carteret despite playing well.
“The team did play well, but we hit the ball right at people and that’s the way it goes,” Smith said. “It was just one of those games.”
With its first win under its belt, JFK will look to keep momentum in its favor with a busy week on the schedule. After opening the week against Hunterdon Central and Metuchen, the Mustangs will host Montgomery for a 3:45 p.m. meeting today and South River for a visit at 3:45 p.m. April 12.
“I know Montgomery just lost to St. Joes over the weekend so they should be looking to bounce back,” Smith said. “South River is another tough opponent. Their pitcher Dom DeCorso is tough. He stepped into the ace role after two years as his team’s No. 2.”
JFK will end the week at Hillsborough High School to take part in the Hillsborough Diamond Classic along with the host school and Immaculata and St. Rose.
Diamond notes… So far so good for the St. Joseph baseball team, as the top-ranked team in the GMC has cruised to a 3-0 record early on. With their impressive 11-2 win over Montgomery on Saturday (led by the strong pitching of junior Sean Hille), the Falcons enter the week looking every bit like the powerhouse they were projected to be.
They hosted South Brunswick, ranked second in the GMC yesterday, and will be back in action today at Piscataway at 4 p.m.
Third-ranked Edison fell to Hamilton West, 4-3, on Saturday to open its season, but can reaffirm its status as one of the conference’s best teams with wins over South Brunswick (Monday) and Woodbridge (today). The Barrons are also 0-1 on the year, dropping their opener to Colonia, 7-4, on Saturday.
The Patriots, who got a strong pitching performance from sophomore Johnny Barreto in the win over the Barrons, host Perth Amboy today (3:35 p.m.), after traveling to Oratory Prep yesterday.
Bishop Ahr, ranked ninth in the GMC, also hopes to get in the win column this week, as does J.P. Stevens, who will visit East Brunswick later today, 4 p.m.
Metuchen, who was no-hit by Spotswood’s Willie Beard on Saturday in a 11-0 five-inning loss, hoped to rebound yesterday against a hot JFK team.