Faddoul and Kennedy Come Through Perfectly

Brian Faddoul couldn’t be blamed for being a bit apprehensive before starting his first Garden Grove League baseball game for Kennedy High School Friday.

On Wednesday, Faddoul walked three batters but earned a save by pitching the last two innings of an 8-5 victory over Rancho Alamitos.

And the week before, his teammates committed seven errors in Faddoul’s only loss of the season--a doubleheader sweep by Gahr in which Kennedy committed 12 errors.

“Every time the ball was hit, I would cross my fingers,” Faddoul said. “We didn’t have any errors that day and that was great.”

The Fighting Irish, defending Southern Section 3-A champions, played error-free ball. Bolsa Grande played hitless ball . . . and walkless ball.

Faddoul pitched a perfect game in a 3-0 victory. Only twice did the junior right-hander have a three-ball count on a batter.

Faddoul, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, was the most valuable player on Kennedy’s junior varsity team last season, moving up to the varsity for the playoffs. But he only pitched during practice because of the dominance of seniors Greg Hansell (13-1) and Peter Montera (11-2).

This season, Kennedy Coach Chris Pascal was counting on Faddoul to be one of two starters even before the other, Mike Stenner, was lost for the season after knee surgery. So Faddoul became the stopper, and Friday he shut down everybody.

“He hung a couple of pitches that he got away with,” Pascal said. “You have to be a little lucky to pitch a no-hitter, much less a perfect game.”

The closest call came with one out in the seventh, when shortstop Rod Rosales made an over-the-shoulder catch of a blooper.

“It bounced off his chest then it went into his glove,” Faddoul (3-1) said, as if he still had difficulty believing it. “I don’t know, that was something else.”

TOP PERFORMERS

Ken Dolan pitched a no-hitter and struck out 10 for San Clemente and the Tritons defeated Capistrano Valley, 4-2, Wednesday.

Nate Julson led El Toro to a first-place finish in the Southern Section swimming relays Saturday at Belmont Plaza. Julson anchored the winning 400-yard backstroke team and had a personal-best 48.1 seconds in his leg of the 400 freestyle, which the Chargers also won.

Chad Rolish pitched a no-hitter and struck out 18 for Servite in the Friars’ 4-0 victory over Bishop Montgomery Saturday.

Roshawn Sims of Esperanza was named the track athlete of the meet at the Orange County Championships Saturday at Rancho Santiago College. Sims won the 400 meters in a meet-record 49.24 seconds and the 200 in 22.00. He also anchored Esperanza’s 400 relay team, which finished second, and the victorious 1,600 relay team.

Brian Faddoul

Kennedy High School

* Position: Pitcher

* Height, Weight, Class: 5-10, 160, Junior

* Last Week: Faddoul pitched a perfect game as Kennedy defeated Bolsa Grande, 3-0, Friday. Faddoul also pitched two innings to earn a save in an 8-5 victory over Rancho Alamitos Wednesday.

* Season: Faddoul is 3-1 with a 1.97 earned-run average. He has struck out 32 and walked 13 in 28 1/3 innings.