Ryan Smith slides home with the tying run in the fourth inning for Tucci Elite.
By Rich Bevensee
The folks from Fennel Brothers Baseball in Pittsburgh never miss a chance to make a summer trip to Diamond Nation in Flemington.
The Fennell Brothers program was founded by Mick and Ryan Fennell and has three training locations in western Pennsylvania.
Between the facilities, the staff and the opportunity to play in front of college recruiters, ‘The Nation’ checks all the boxes that Fennell Brothers Express 2027 coach Jay Fraser and his staff are looking for in a road trip for their team.
“This place is simply outstanding,” said Fraser, who brought his ballclub to ‘The Nation’ for a fifth straight summer. “We love it here. The scoreboards, the facilities are the best, and the showcase personnel are very communicative. We love coming out here. We definitely enjoy the experience which is why we keep coming back.”
Fraser’s players – namely Andrew Connelly and Nathan Passanante – gave the scouts a few things to talk about after Fennell Brothers’ 3-2, six-inning victory over Tucci Elite 2027 in the 18U Blue Chip Prospects Powered by Victus on Thursday.
Connelly, a right-handed pitcher, sidestepped enough trouble to limit Tucci Elite to two runs over four solid innings while the lefty-hitting Passanante broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the sixth with a solo home run.
“The exposure is outstanding,” Fraser said. “The kids get a chance to come out here and enjoy their time together. It’s an opportunity to be away from home and bond. More importantly it gets them an opportunity to be seen by some coaches and colleges that may not be in front of them all the time.”
The Express earned their first Blue Chip win after bowing to Time To Sign, 10-0, and 3 Up 3 Down Red, 8-5, earlier this week.
Tucci, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, fell to 0-2 for the event and had a game cancelled due to inclement weather on Tuesday.
There are no playoffs for this event, but the top five teams will receive a bid to the Super Top 25 Showcase Series Aug. 11-12 at ‘The Nation.’
The game-winning blast was Passanante’s second of the summer. Passanante, a 5-8, 210-pound rising senior at Thomas Jefferson in Jefferson Hills, Pa., was 1-for-6 in the Blue Chip event going into the sixth when he hammered a 3-1 pitch high up into the right field netting.
“This week I’ve been struggling at the plate – that’s baseball, you’re going to struggle,” Passanante said. “Honestly I was just trying to get a poke over the second baseman’s head, trying to get some baserunners out there. Before the at bat I changed my whole mindset and decided to just go up there and swing the bat and have fun.”
“That was beautiful,” Fraser said. “We kept saying to him, ‘Stay within yourself, keep doing the things you do well, know the count and drive a ball,’ and he got all of that one.”
Connelly, a 6-foot, 220-pound rising senior at Deer Lakes in Cheswick, Pa., used a flurry of offspeed pitches to buoy his low-70s fastball, and the mix frustrated Tucci batters.
Connelly, who mixes a slider, curveball and changeup, allowed one run in the first and fourth innings and he stranded five baserunners, three in scoring position.
Nathan Passanante of Fennell Brothers is met at home plate by Jacob Jurgensen after his go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning.
“I started out by giving up two soft hits and after that I felt I was flowing,” said Connelly, who struck out seven while two runs on five hits and one walk in 67 pitches. “My main focus is to always be ahead in the count so I can throw my offspeeds however I want to throw them. The changeup was coming out of my hand nice today.”
“What he does is he misses barrels,” Fraser said of Connelly. “He’s an unflappable pitcher. He gives us five, six, seven innings every time out, throws 80-100 pitches every time out. He keeps us in games every time. We know what we’re gonna get from him.”
Jacob Jurgensen, a right-handed rising senior at North Hills in Pittsburgh, pitched two scoreless innings in relief, although not without some drama. In the bottom of the sixth he retired the first two batters and then walked the next two to allow Tucci to have the potential tying and winning runs on base. Jurgensen retired the side when he got the next batter to ground into a fielder’s choice.
“I wanted Jacob to have an opportunity to be seen,” Fraser said. “He’s got a nice repertoire, and when he’s mechanically sound he’s really hard to hit.”
Another pitcher who shined Thursday was Tucci starter Gus Witt, a rising senior at the Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn. Witt, a 6-3 righty with a lightning, mid-80s fastball, struck out six over three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and no walks.
Liam Sweeney pitched three innings in relief for Tucci and permitted three runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout.
Tucci scored a run in the bottom of the first on Lucas Behan’s RBI double, which brought home Ryan Smith.
Fennell Brothers began a two-run rally in the top of the fourth when Passanante walked and Jurgensen doubled on a fly ball lost in the sun in right field. Nico Sanders drove in Passanante with a groundout and Sean Good doubled home Jurgensen with a curling double into the right field corner for a 2-1 lead.
Tucci evened the score in the bottom of the fourth when Smith singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Jason Dize single and scored on a Derlin Soto sacrifice fly.