Trojans hoping to build on lessons learned
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

EDISON - The 2007 season came to an end with a 9-4 loss to Camden Catholic in the opening round of the state tournament for the Bishop Ahr High School baseball team.

The loss dropped the Trojans to 9-9 on the season.

"The Camden Catholic game was indicative of our entire season," Bishop Ahr head coach Scott Runkel said. "We took an early lead and then gave up all nine runs in one inning. Camden scored all their runs in one explosion to give them more than enough breathing room."

Bishop Ahr took home the sectional title in 2006 but lost too many of its players to repeat the performance.

"We were too inconsistent this season," Runkel said. "We lost a lot of close ones which was the complete opposite of last season. Last year, we won most of the close games. Still, this was a tremendously hard-working group that kept its morale up and always worked towards improving."

Bishop Ahr proved it could play with the county's top teams as it held late game leads against both Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament finalists.

"We had both Spotswood and J.P. Stevens beat with their respective aces on the mound," Runkel said. "Both persevered in the seventh inning to beat us. It was that kind of season for us."

Despite the tough losses, the team had its share of outstanding performances. Junior first baseman Lee Cavico was an offensive machine hitting .561 with 32 hits and 30 RBI in just 18 games. He was among the county leaders in long balls with eight round-trippers.

"Lee had an exceptional season," Runkel said. "He walked 20 times, 14 of which were intentional. That frustrated us a bit when teams took the bat out of Lee's hands, but it just shows you how feared a hitter he is."

Senior catcher Matt Rodriguez hit behind Cavico in the order and frequently made teams pay for their strategic gamble. Rodriguez hit .409 with 24 RBI. He tallied five doubles, a triple and two home runs.

Senior shortstop Steve Rossi had another solid year as the team's table-setter. Rossi batted .390.

"Steve was one of three returning

starters along with Lee and Matt," Runkel said. "He came on strong in the second half of the season and helped us make a push toward the post season."

Senior outfielder Dan Fitzpatrick hit in the two-slot this year and was one of the team's biggest surprises. He ended the year batting .377.

"Dan was the most versatile player on the team and he came through at the plate," Runkel said. "He finished up with eight extra-base hits."

The Trojans also got some noteworthy performances out of pitchers Joe Haumacher, Steve Godowski and Mike Fallon. A junior left-hander, Fallon looks to be the team's ace next spring.

"With Haumacher and Godowski graduating, Mike Fallon will be the top returning starter," Runkel said. "We'll expect big things from him."

Fallon also had a nice offensive season batting .295 with a team-leading seven doubles.

"Joe Haumacher was really our go-to-guy this season," Runkel said. "We leaned on him quite a bit and he logged the most innings. He suffered some tough-luck losses due to a lack of run support."

Along with Fallon, juniors Chris Luma, Larry Belotta, Roger Sokoloski and Tom Egan should have the Trojans contending for a Blue Division title in 2008.

"It was a very competitive season in the Blue Division this year," Runkel said. "It was definitely one of the better years for the league with teams like Spotswood, Middlesex, JFK, and Metuchen all having good seasons."