DeSales Coach and Students Win in WNY Parochial All-Stars

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Published on Wednesday, June 15, 2016

DeSales Coach and Students Win in WNY Parochial All-Stars

The WNY Northern Parochial All-Stars led by DeSales coach Todd Fragale played their championship baseball game at Coca Cola Field on May 25th.  With the coaching help of Tom Murphy of DeSales and Kevin Pritchard of St. Marks, the Northern bested the Southern Parochial All-Stars 14-12 in action Wednesday night.  Coca Cola Field is the home of the AAA Buffalo Bisons, which is the minor-league team for the Toronto Blue Jays.  Eighth graders,  Sam Murphy, Jason Buzak, Karl Darling, and Colin Fragale represented DeSales on the WNY Northern team. These boys were selected based on their baseball abilities, as well as their teamwork and sportsmanship.  In addition to playing for DeSales, Murphy plays for the Niagara Nationals, Darling plays for Lockport Little League and both Fragale and Buzak play for the AnJo Bombers.  Also on the Northern team were players from St Marks of Buffalo, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Depew and Elmwood Franklin of Buffalo. Representing the Southern team were Notre Dame Academy of Buffalo, Queen of Heaven of West Seneca, St Peter & Paul of Hamburg, St Mary of Lancaster and Northern Chautauqua Catholic.  Coach Fragale was chosen to manage the team based on his DeSales team winning the WNY Parochial championship in the Fall, which was the first time in school history and the first time in the 92 years of the WNY Parochial league.

Of the DeSales boys, Buzak, Murphy and Darling all pitched. Offensively the boys were a force and led the team. Murphy reached base three times, scoring three times with two singles.  Fragale reached base three times on two walks and a single.   Darling reached base three times on a walk and a single.   Buzak reached base three times on three singles. The DeSales quartet of ballers drove in nine runs and crossed home five times combined.

The defensive highlights kicked in during the fourth inning when Buzak fired a ball in from centerfield to Murphy on the mound, which he fired to Darling at home nailing an aggressive runner at the plate. In the sixth inning, Fragale added a web-gem digging a ball out of the dirt on a back hand, completing a double play from Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament player Jerry Stachura.  Murphy also took down two trying to swipe a bag while behind the dish.  

Coach Todd Fragale described the experience, “It was a once in a lifetime game for these 8th graders. The DeSales boys certainly made the best of the opportunity and gave their all. I was very proud of the poise, sportsmanship, and leadership the boys displayed. ”

DeSales is Eastern Niagara County’s only Catholic School, serving over 300 students in Early Childhood Education through Eighth grade.  For more information call 433-6422 or visit www.desalescatholicschool.org.


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Author: Jennifer Bohlman

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DeSales Catholic School LogoDeSales is a regional Catholic elementary school, located in the Town of Lockport NY, within the Diocese of Buffalo. The school is a designated STREAM school, a center of excellence that inspires individual students to reach their greatest potential, both inside and outside the classroom, while providing students with the fundamental building blocks to be innovative, critical-thinkers, and responsible future leaders.