By Laura Amato
Quentin Holmes heard the ball crack off his bat. He watched it sail into deep right field. Then he put his head down and ran.
He won’t do that anymore.
Holmes was so focused on running, determined to drive in runs and maybe notch an inside-the-park home run, that the Monsignor McClancy junior didn’t realize that he was about to out-run someone else—his teammate.
Holmes sprinted by Ronald Clinton as he was rounding third base in a play that highlighted one of the strangest innings the Crusaders have played all season en route to a 2-1 CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens victory over visiting Archbishop Molloy on Sunday.
“I actually just saw that kind of play in the major leagues earlier this week,” Holmes said. “I didn’t think in my mind he’d still be standing on the base, because it was clear the ball was going pretty far. I just put my head down. I see an open base and I go for it.”
McClancy had struggled at the plate early before John Lluvera singled into left field in the bottom of the fifth. Clinton followed up with a walk and, suddenly, the Crusaders had two men on with Holmes up to bat.
Holmes, a Mississippi State commit, drilled his third hit of the day and that was when things got chaotic.
Lluvera crossed home easily, but Holmes couldn’t control his speed behind Clinton. The play negated an RBI triple for the center fielder and sent Clinton back to first base after Holmes was called out.
“I think we’ll have to discuss the communication. Honestly, I don’t think it’s all the player’s fault,” said McClancy coach Nick Melito. “That’s the fastest guy in the city playing baseball. He knew he hit the ball well and he knew he had an inside-the-park home run. It happened.”
It would have been easy for McClancy (11-6) to shut down after the play. The team did the opposite.
Kyle Schaefer responded with an RBI double of his own, legitimately scoring Clinton and giving the Crusaders a lead they would never surrender.
“I think people forget that Schaefer’s just a sophomore,” Melito said. “He has tremendous pressure on him. I think for him to come through, it’s going to give him a lot of confidence.”
Holmes had to admit he was thankful to his teammates for stepping up after his mistake. It’s certainly one he doesn’t hope to repeat any time soon.
“It shows that we’re a strong enough team to do it,” Holmes said. “We’ll fall down one time, but we’ll definitely pick ourselves back up.”
The chaos of the fifth inning also chased Molloy (10-6) starter Billy Hatzinikolau from the mound after an otherwise solid outing.
“It was only (Hatzinkolau’s) second start and I thought he did a great job,” Molloy coach Brad Lyons said. “He gave us a chance to win.”
While McClancy’s bats were inconsistent, the Crusaders’ pitching was anything but as Charlie Neuweiler tossed a complete game, giving up four hits and striking out nine.
“It’s always a weight off your shoulders when you’re pitching and you have the lead,” Neuweiler said. “You have some room to breathe. It was crazy, but they got me the one-run lead I needed to feel comfortable on the mound and I could just do my thing.”
McClancy now holds its fate in its own hands, looking to jockey for position in the BQCHSAA standings before the postseason gets underway.
“It’s a good win,” Melito said. “Every day, you’re playing for life. It’s a game, but everybody can beat everybody.”
