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Rondinelli Tuxedo wins in Connie Mack opener
By JON MOFFETT
STRUTHERS
Photo
Cody Kirk, left, of Rondinelli Tuxedo, and Tim Beech of Diamond Boys look to for a call during the first-round game at the Connie Mack state tournament at Cene Park on Monday. Beech was ruled out on the play. The tournament continues today.
It’s a good thing Brent Messett is used to pressure situations.
The Rondinelli Tuxedo pitcher faced plenty of nail-biting moments in Monday’s opening-round game against the Diamond Boys. But a complete game performance from the 18-year-old Messett helped Rondinelli to a 6-5 win in the Connie Mack tournament at Cene Park.
“I was getting a little tired, a little fatigued,” Messett Said. “It’s been a while since I pitched that much. I knew I had to buckle down and get those last few outs.”
Those last few outs didn’t come easy either.
Rondinelli took a comfortable 6-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning. But a walk, stolen base, walk and a throwing error put two runners on and the heart of the order headed to the plate.
Tim Beech had a single for the Diamond Boys, which plated one run. Dan Ward, the No. 3 hitter, followed suit with a double he smash off the left-field wall. The blast, which would’ve been a home run if the wall was about 2 feet shorter, scored two more.
One out. One run lead.
And no pressure.
“It started off with ‘oh boy, here we go,’ but I’ve been in that situation before,” Messett said. “But after a while, you just have to take a deep breath and buckle down.”
Messett credited several nice defensive plays for keeping him in the game. Rondinelli turned three double plays and threw a runner out at the plate.
In the bottom of the fifth inning and trailing by three, Beech had a double that reach the left-field wall. Leadoff man Jason Haba tried to score from first base, but was gunned down by the strong-armed Nick Cianci. Cianci hit cutoff man Phil Lipari, and the relay throw had Haba out by several steps.
“I owe them everything,” Messett said. “That was huge, absolutely huge.”
The on-field chemistry is just the latest example of a season’s worth of players picking up their teammates, Messett said. When asked the chick-or-egg question of whether camaraderie bred wins, or the opposite, Messett was steadfast in his response.
“We definitely get along well and the atmosphere is really light,” he said. “No one gets down on anyone, and I think that is a major factor to our success.”
He continued: “We’re able to stay up in the dugout and play the next play. We’re not dwelling on any errors or any mistakes.”
Head coach Tony Gorvet said it’s been beneficial to have a leader like Messett for his team to follow this year.
“He gutted it out even though his pitch count was getting pretty high and we were getting ready to pull him,” Gorvet said. “But we stayed with him and he finished strong.”
Gorvet too complimented the defense, which held the Diamond Boys to seven hits.
“Just when he looked like he was getting into trouble, he’d pitch out of it,” Gorvet said of Messett. “He’d pitch a ground ball and get a double play out of it. We didn’t make errors and we played good defense tonight.”
Offensively, Rondinelli had 10 hits. Center fielder Kyle Vaclav had two hits, a walk and scored a run. He was joined by right fielder Jake Double.
So what’s it a name? A ton for Double.
Double’s fifth-inning two-bagger gave scored a pair, and gave Rondinelli a three run lead. Double came around to score one inning later on a single by Messett.
Gorvet praised Messett’s ability to remain composed during tense situations as a major reason the team has been so successful.
Messett will attend Potomac State Junior College this fall, and is almost a year older than many of his teammates.
That added experience and development gives Messett an edge over the competition, Gorvet said.
“He’s an 18-year-old kid, and it makes a big difference out there,” he said. “It is all about maturity. He is going to college next year, and he shows great maturity on the mound ... He handled himself really well and he didn’t get rattled.”
Rondinelli, who won the same tournament last year, is hoping to repeat. Gorvet said the right pieces are in place.
But he also abides by the oldest coaching mantra in the books.
“We’re just going to take it one game at a time,” he said. “You can’t think that far ahead. We just need to win no matter what.”