Ricca Leads Olympic Heights Over Cardinal Newman

Bruce Steel of Cardinal Newman came into the game batting .525. and went 2-for-3.

Sam Howell’s weekend got off to a great start.

Olympic Heights held off Howell’s alma mater, Cardinal Newman, 9-7 in a non-district game Friday night behind the pitching and hitting of John Ricca. The loss snapped Newman’s six-game win streak.

And Howell will be inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday night.

Howell compiled a 274-196-4 record while at John I. Leonard and Santaluces but had not managed baseball for seven years before returning to the dugout for Olympic Heights this season.

“A win’s a win but it makes it a little bit special since I got beat by Santaluces (6-0 on Wednesday) where I was at for 26 years,” said Howell. “To win one of the two, and to be honest with you I’d like to have won both, (but) if I was to pick one over the other, this is the one I want.”

Howell holds the Cardinal Newman career records for most wins (24), strikeouts (308), no-hitters (6) and lowest ERA (0.75) and was a three-time All-Conference selection. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royal in the 13th round of the 1971 draft.

Ricca, a senior right-hander making his first start of the season, pitched five innings, allowing five hits while striking out one and walking four. Ricca is usually the starting catcher.

“We need some pitching, that’s our Achilles heel,” said Howell. “I know he threw a little bit in the winter league, so let’s see what he can do. And he pitches well tonight.”

John Ricca made his first start of the season a good one, lasting five innings and getting the win.

Kenny Landis relieved Ricca and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning before running into trouble in the seventh.

The Crusaders hit back-to-back-back two-out RBI doubles by Bruce Steel, Anthony Zaleski and Luis Besteiro to cut the margin to 9-7.

Howell visited Landis and the junior right-hander induced Michael Roca to fly out to deep center on an 0-1 pitch.

“I just told him (Landis) to keep throwing strikes and make them hit the ball,” said Howell. “Don’t walk guys. If they want to trade doubles for runs, somebody’s gonna fly out. We already have two outs. The next guy, bingo, (flies out) and that was it.”

Olympic Heights (4-8) took a 9-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Ricca’s bases-loaded triple with two outs. His sinking line drive eluded the centerfielder and rolled to the fence, allowing Nick Stachnik, Sal Beltran and Vinnie Scambone to score.

Ricca finished with three hits and four RBIs while Sean McClaskie, who moved from first base to catcher for the first time this season, had two hits and two RBIs for the Lions.

“We came in with a six-game winning streak and we kind of came in flat, on our heels,” said Cardinal Newman manager Sean Comfort. “You’ve got to take your hat off to them. They caught the ball, the threw the ball, they hit the ball. They played good fundamental baseball. That’s the way that we were playing, that’s the way we stayed in games, the basics.”

Anthony Zaleski led Cardinal Newman with three hits and had two RBIs and Luis Besteiro had two RBI doubles. Bruce Steel, who came into the game batting .525, went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Comfort said the Crusaders (10-4) took Olympic Heights for granted.

“I told them we have to come and play every night, otherwise this is going to happen,” said Comfort. “I have a young team, so telling them this and they see six in a row and they think they’re invincible at times. Sometimes it’s not so bad to get a loss. Even though we all hate to lose. We’re a little more humble now.”

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