Braydon McKendrick originally planned to attend St. Rita, his dad’s alma mater, before ultimately choosing Brother Rice.
St. Rita instead became a house of horrors for McKendrick the last two years. He struggled mightily on the mound there as a freshman on the junior varsity in 2023 and again on varsity last season.
The junior left-hander got his third shot at 77th and Western on Saturday. He made sure it was a charm.
“I took this game really personally,” McKendrick said. “I was going to go to this school. My dad came here. I haven’t pitched well here in the past. It was just really personal for me and I was ready for this.”
McKendrick dominated by throwing five shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just one hit as visiting Brother Rice rolled to a 13-0 Catholic League Blue win over St. Rita in six innings in Chicago.
Conner Stack went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and two runs for the Crusaders (23-1, 6-0). Arizona recruit Gavin Triezenberg finished 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, while Kentucky commit Nolan Ramoley added two singles, two walks and an RBI.
St. Xavier recruit Peyton Panozzo and Luke Arteaga each had a single for St. Rita (9-14, 0-6). Will Rewers pitched four innings, striking out four and allowing just one earned run on six hits and four walks.
McKendrick, meanwhile, took a no-hitter into the fourth inning and allowed just one infield single by Panozzo. He only walked one.
“Last year, when we came here, I just couldn’t throw a strike,” McKendrick said. “It really brought the team down. My mentality’s been changed this whole year. My mindset has been different.
“It’s all about competing and just thinking about how quick I can get my guys back in the dugout.”
Brother Rice was originally set to host Saturday’s game, with Thursday’s first meeting between the teams scheduled for St. Rita. When field conditions due to Thursday’s rain caused the teams to swap hosting duties, Crusaders coach Sean McBride told McKendrick to get ready for redemption.
“The way it lined up originally, Brady (Cunningham) was going to pitch at Rita and Braydon was going to get the home game,” McBride said. “Since it changed, it’s been kind of a tongue-in-cheek thing the last few days.
“‘I kind of made a joke, ‘Hey, are you going to be a little bit better on that mound this year?’ He was awesome, obviously. He’s been awesome all year. He’s really made himself into an ace.”
Senior catcher Joshua Torres gave McKendrick some pep talks leading into the game.
“If you were here the last two years, Braydon was bad,” Torres said of playing at St. Rita. “I told him, ‘You’ve got to prove something today.’ He did. He was great.”
The Crusaders gave him plenty of support, pounding out 14 hits. They led just 1-0 after three innings but scored twice in the fourth before piling up four runs in the fifth and six in the sixth.
Stack’s two-run homer in the sixth was the exclamation point for Brother Rice.
“Once I saw it go over the wall, it was a really good feeling,” Stack said. “We fuel off each other a lot. Hitting is contagious, as coach McBride says, so once one guy hits, we all hit.
“We can all hit. We’re the best lineup in the state.”
Of course, the way McKendrick is going, there’s not much pressure on the offense. He’s 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA.
“My teammates have really helped me with my confidence,” he said. “It’s just the chemistry. We’re all friends here and I feel like that’s something we didn’t have last year.
“It’s all positivity around the dugout. I think everyone has bought in.”
