Opening day of high school baseball season in New Hampshire almost guarantees a feel of wintertime. Coaches and players bundled up, hands wringing from contact by the ball colliding with the bat and running through cold air to make a routine out.
But this year’s weather for the start of baseball season had A.J. Fennelly daydreaming.
Fennelly and a cast of Crimson Tide players made sure the beautiful day didn’t turn gloomy as they defeated Windham, 8-4, on Monday at Warren H. Doane Field.
“Today was beautiful,” Concord’s senior outfielder said. “I was sitting in class with Jack Reynolds, and we were just looking out the window going, ‘Dang, today’s just a great day to play baseball.’ ”
A peek down Concord’s lineup and you’ll see it looks vastly different from last season.
But those new players capitalized on opportunities when they presented themselves throughout Monday’s game. Concord held a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning when its offense got rolling.
Matt Drewes, a junior, advanced to second base after a single from Nate Wachter and then, two batters later, junior Daniel Revellese had a ball drop in right field for an RBI double. Windham intentionally walked Fennelly to have a force out, but it cost the Jaguars another run after Revellese took advantage of a wild pitch to come home.
Two more runs followed, including Fennelly stealing home, with the Tide capping off a four-run fifth inning to extend their lead to 8-2.
“We came out here and played really well offensively,” Fennelly said. “Sticks definitely got hot.”
Concord’s earlier runs came in the first inning after an error allowed Brooks Craigue and Drewes to score, then Fennelly sent home Revellese on an RBI single. The Tide’s fourth run was scored in the third inning by Wachter.
The aggressiveness for the first game of the season was one of the difference-makers for Concord, and it’s a relationship with a foundation of t se hit followed by an RBI double in the first, but until the bottom of the sixth inning Craigue played well for his first start of the season.
Of course it’s only the first game, and with a 19-game regular season, there’s still a ways to go.
But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a dang good day to play baseball.