Warde Beats Ludlowe, 6-3, at Ballpark at Harbor Yard to Continue Baseball Hex & Town Bragging Rights Over Cross-Town Rivals

The following story is reprinted from the Fairfield Citizen-News. Despite facing the best team in the FCIAC, Warde snapped Ludlowe's 14-game winning streak and beat the Falcons for the third straight year before over 1,000 fans at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport last week. The game was played Thursday evening, May 8, 2008.

Apparently, a 14-game win streak and the most talented baseball team Fairfield Ludlowe High School has ever had is no match for the hex that Fairfield Warde and the Ballpark at Harbor Yard seems to have on them.

Warde got a complete game pitching performance from senior John Sheets, as the Mustangs staked him to a 6-0 lead and held on to win 6-3 in front of approximately 1,000 people at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard on Thursday night.

The Mustangs earned bragging rights for the third consecutive season over their cross-town foes. Warde defeated Ludlowe 3-2 last year and in 2006 as well.

"We've had three great experiences here," Warde head coach Mark Caron said. "Our kids came out and they played a whale of a game; by far the best game they've played all season."

The Falcons fell to 15-2 overall and 14-1 in the FCIAC. The loss was the first for the Falcons since a 5-4 defeat to Notre Dame-Fairfield on April 2.

"Whenever we play Warde it is an emotional game," Ludlowe head coach Keith O'Rourke said. "These kids grew up together, and there is the belief that they could beat each other on both ends."

Warde had men on base in every inning of the game except the second, and twice left the bases loaded, or else the score could have been significantly worse. The Mustangs left a total of eight men on base in the seven innings.

"We put pressure on them in every inning," Caron said. "When you do that every inning, occasionally you're going to have some men that are left on base."

The Mustangs broke the game open in the fourth inning. Third baseman Eric Burns walked and so did pinch hitter Drew Barlaam. Barlaam, and pinch runner Alex Stanco, each advanced on a wild pitch, and then junior second baseman Kyle Burns singled through a drawn-in infield and both base runners scored. Burns reached second on the throw home to the plate.

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Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".