It’s four days that Lukasz Rondeau will never forget.
On Thursday, he was on a college visit nearly 900 miles away from his Windham home.
The next night, he threw a perfect game, leading Austin Prep to a 5-0 win over Belmont Hill.
And 36 hours later, the two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star at Central Catholic verbally committed to play his next four years at the school he had just visited, the Division 1 University of Dayton.
“I knew right when I stepped on campus (Dayton) was the school I want to spend the next four years,” he said. “Between the coaching staff, facilities, and the community I know it will be a great fit athletically and academically.”
Over his last two years at Central, Rondeau threw some gems for the Raiders, including shut outs over Chelmsford and BC High – but never a perfect game.
“I threw a perfect game (when I was 13 years old) but not at this high of a level,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. I was more focused on winning the game for my team and the community that was out supporting us.”
A southpaw, Rondeau had complete control of his four pitches, both a two-seam and a four-seam fastball that hit as high as 86 mph, a change-up that’s down around 80 and and a 75 mph curve/sweeper.
“I just attacked the zone, executed pitches and went to war against Belmont Hill,” he said. “I knew they had a great top of the order so I had to stick to my scouting report. I knew right after the first inning it was going to be a long day for their lineup, I took control of the game early which was important. I wasn’t really nervous.
“The last out was a pop fly to right field to junior outfielder Michael McCarthy, and that last pitch was amazing. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of the perfect-game club.”
The win improved his record to 3-0, upped the team’s win streak to 20. He is now 8-1 over his last two years as a pitcher.
Double the power in Haverhill
Between playing and coaching, Haverhill High baseball coach Paul Sartori has been around baseball for a very long time.
He knows all the sounds of summer.
“If you ever walk into a ballpark and batting practice is going on, sometimes there’s a player or two, who when they hit the ball it sounds a little bit different than everyone else,” Sartori said. “That’s these two guys.”
These two guys — cousins Jeremy and Matt Aquino — have made a lot of noise already in the Merrimack Valley Conference.
At Trinity Stadium last Tuesday night, the sounds off their bats were deafening.
In a 13-4 win over Lowell, Matthew, a right-handed hitting junior, finished the game with three hits, including a home run and five RBI.
“The ball just flies off of Matthew’s bat – just flies off his bat,” said Sartori.
His sophomore cousin Jeremy also belted a home run — his second in as many games — and finished with three hits and three RBI. He can switch-hit, but hit his two round-trippers this season right-handed.
“I don’t think Jeremy realizes how talented he can be,” said Sartori. “The ball also flies off of his bat. The home run that he hit was more of a line drive down the left field line and it cleared the fence. The one that he hit the game before was a line shot to right center that cleared the fence.”
The cousins followed their fathers growing up playing a lot of baseball in their native Dominican Republic. In 2021, Matthew and his family moved to Haverhill and he made the varsity baseball team last season. During the middle of last year’s season Jeremy joined the team after moving here along with his family members.
“It’s a big difference over here, (we’re) getting better opportunities with school, baseball, and people helping us out,” said Matthew through a translator. “We’re glad to be over here with such great coaches, teammates and so many great people helping us. We have connected with so many people.”
They have also made it a habit of connecting with baseballs that go very, very far.
“I was waiting on a curveball. It was a 2-0 count and I had already seen that pitch before so I was looking for it as I thought the pitcher was going to throw it,” said Jeremy. “I waited on it (and hit it). I loved (the feeling).”
On the season, Jeremy is batting .353 and has 6 RBI.
Matthew — who is batting .263 but leads the team with 9 RBI — doesn’t have a number in mind of how many home runs he wants to hit this season, but Jeremy wasn’t shy about reaching some powerful goals.
“I’d like to hit more than ten (home runs),” he said with a big laugh.
Terilli strong on the hill
Haverhill has dropped to 3-4 on the season but pitcher Nick Terilli has been really strong on the mound. He is sporting a 2-0 record with a 2.70 ERA spanning 10 innings of work.
“Nick is at his best when things get difficult. He has an ability to respond positively when facing adversity,” said Sartori.
Methuen’s Hall of Fame weekend
Although the Methuen High baseball team is still searching for its first win, this past Sunday, the team traveled to Cooperstown, N.Y., and played a Merrimack Valley Conference league game against Lowell on the legendary Doubleday Field.
Besides the game, the entire team toured the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and head coach Cam Roper said it’s a trip he’ll never forget.
“It was an amazing experience. We have truly great kids and I’m happy this trip came together for them,” said Roper. “We visited the Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday. and battled (in the game on Sunday) but came up short against Lowell. Very happy for our kids to be able to have this experience and can now say they played on the same field as guys like Ted Williams and Hank Aaron. Lifetime memories were made for sure.”
Seniors making their mark in Lawrence
Despite a couple bumps in the road, Lawrence coach Alberto Abreu said the senior class – led by starters Angel Castillo, Luis Arias, David Manon and Will Perez – has been terrific in leading the younger players, while the team is sporting a 3-2 record.
“Angel Castillo is our commander on the field. He is our leader, has unmatched energy, and is willing to do whatever it takes to play winning baseball. Angel plays stellar defense at third and has a cannon for an arm as a catcher.
“Luis Arias is our starting left fielder. He is an aggressive hitter who has developed a great discipline at the plate. His speed and athleticism help him play any position in the outfield.
“David Mañon is our returning first baseman who last year was first team all conference and is a very powerful hitter. Having him in the lineup each and every day, brings a smile to my face.
“Will Perez does everything for us. Whether that means starting in center field, playing shortstop, pitching, closing … You name it he will do that for you, and that a very high-level.”
Elite Knight in center
Over the last four years, David Johnson has been the center fielder for North Andover and head coach Todd Dulin said the kid is better than all of the rest.
“We have had many great defensive center fielders (during my tenure), but I think David might be the best,” said Dulin.
“He is a four-year starter in center field and a two-year captain. He is also a switch hitter – and the only switch hitter I have ever coached. On top of everything else, he is an outstanding student at North Andover High School.”
Speaking of defense
Andover is off to a strong 4-1 start, which included blanking North Andover on Monday. Certainly the pitching of Chris Jaillet and Ben Workman has been a big part of the success but the guys behind them in the field have to make the routine and the tough plays and junior second baseman Matt Defeo has certainly done that to this point of the season.
“He has been flawless at second base this year. He’s also hitting .300 right on the nose. He transferred here from St. John’s Prep and so he’s been a pleasant surprise,” said head coach Dan Grams.
Perfect in the Granite State
Pinkerton Academy is off a 5-0 start and like almost all successful teams, it starts with the pitching. In 34 innings thus far, the group has given up just 4 earned runs on 11 hits, while walking 12 and striking out 39. All of that comes after losing Casey Watson and Garrett Hammer, two veteran guys from last year’s state finalist club.
“The pitching staff has worked hard from last season to fill the innings left behind from these guys. Leo Boucher, Michael Cioffi, Jake Adrien and Hunter Brasier have all stepped into starting roles this season while Jake Welch, Cole Eaton and Jackson Marshall have been solid in the bullpen for the Astros,” said head coach Steve Campo.
Heading into this season, Campo was concerned because the snow and rain pushed the preseason work back a bit, but it seems like the entire group made up for that.
“We have a group of guys that work hard and want to get better. They understand that they don’t have to do too much for our staff to be a big part of this team’s success,” said the team’s pitching coach, Mike Lynch.
Relievers coming up big in Salem
The Blue Devils have only played three games thus far, standing at 1-2 with 6-3 and 8-6 losses to Dover and Bishop Guertin, sandwiched between an 8-6 win over Manchester Memorial. While the starting pitchers have struggled a bit in the early goings, the guys called out of the pen have not.
“Long relievers Jack Quinby and Dom Toscano have been a bright spot the first three games,” said coach Dan Keleher.
Quinby has tossed 6.2 innings, giving up two unearned runs on two hits while striking out eight. Toscano has also tossed three scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out three.
Kontos swinging a hot bat
Timberlane has started out with a tough 1-4 record, including being outscored 37-15 before Monday’s 11-6 win over Windham. Senior Ryan Kontos has been putting up his own impressive numbers. He is currently batting .438 (7 for 16) with a home run and five runs batted in.
“Ryan is a captain and has been the starting first baseman for three seasons,” said coach Alex Horgan. “He had a really good sophomore year hitting .260 and struggled at times last year only hitting .210, but has bounced back in a big way. He leads us as a captain, teammate and with his production on the field.”
Besides baseball, Kontos was a member of the Timberlane football and wrestling teams, and plans on working in HVAC after graduation.
Two big games upcoming
If you want to check out some of these elite baseball teams.
In Mass., it’s North Andover and Central Catholic on Thursday.
In N.H., Pinkerton Academy will take on Bishop Guertin in a key New Hampshire Division I game on Saturday night.