League Titles up for Grab; Sectional Seeds on Tap Down Stretch

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

And down the stretch they come! With league titles on the line and just one week left before Section 1 playoffs start, Class AAA is looking more and more like another potential battle between the powers that be in Dutchess County, the current No.1 RCK and No.2 Arlington. It’s going to take an awful lot for upstart No.3 OSSINING (9-5-1) or No.7 WHITE PLAINS (7-6) to stage a couple of early-round upsets to reach the finals, but stranger things have happened.

In Class AA, however, we’re looking at a bevy of Examiner-area challengers, including current top seed MAHOPAC (12-4-1) and No.3 FOX LANE believing they have what it takes to win it all, with No.6 SOMERS, No.8 YORKTOWN, No.9 BREWSTER and No.11 HORACE GREELEY all capable of busting up a bracket. The locals are all hoping to survive the opening round and realistically produce a Final 4 run or better. Baseball is an any-given-day sport, and AA looks like it’s as wide open as we’ve seen it in quite some time.

“In my mind, the seeding doesn’t really tell the story,” said Mahopac Coach Anthony Nappi, who took a 12th-seeded Somers team to a sectional championship in 2022. “Maybe it’s the experience I’ve had, but it’s all out the window when playoffs start anyway. We just want to be playing good baseball at the right time. Plenty of teams are capable. We have to make sure we’re doing the things to separate ourselves. Yesterday (vs Lakeland), we did some of those things by getting the grind-it-out kind of runs; moving runners over and situational hitting, which was nice to see.”

Class A is equally vexing as of our press deadline Monday. No.1 Tappan Zee and No.3 Nanuet lead a strong Rockland contingent seeking to dethrone No.4 WALTER PANAS (10-5) for the rights to represent in the NYSPHSAA tourney, which Coach Anthony Fata’s Panthers rode all the way to the state finals last year. No.10 BRIARCLIFF (9-8), No.9 HEN HUD (8-8-1), No.12 LAKELAND (6-9-1) and No.13 BYRAM HILLS (7-9-2) have not manufactured enough consistency at this point in time to be considered true title contenders, but, we caution, baseball comes back to one thing: Who’s toeing the rubber, so it’ll be all about matchups. Briarcliff had won 4 of 5 before getting shutout, 7-0, at top-seeded Class B Rye Neck Saturday.

And speaking of Class B, CROTON-HARMON (14-4) hit a bit of a speed bump last week, dropping from the top seed to No.3 after losses to Ossining and No.5 PUTNAM VALLEY (9-5-1). Now, Putnam Valley has a chance to walk off with the league title if they can upend visiting Croton in today’s home-and-home finale. The Tigers won’t have RHP Dom DeBenedetto on the bump after the Tiger ace went the route for the 5-1 win over Croton Friday, striking out six and allowing one earned run. In 31 1/3 innings, including seven starts, DeBenedetto is 4-0 with 39 whiffs and a 1.78 ERA while carrying the Tigers to a solid start. Today’s game between the Tigers vs. Tigers should have some serious back and forth with the league flag on the line. Meanwhile, No.4 PLEASANTVILLE (11-5) had its nine-game win streak snapped in a pair of losses to Rye Neck, and No.10 WESTLAKE (4-10) and No.11 VALHALLA (5-11-1) are well below .500, hoping to salvage their respective seasons by busting up a bracket in the opening round of the playoffs. Rye Neck looks like it will hold off Pleasantville to come away with the league title.

In Class C, HALDANE is having a rough go at 4-10, the current four seed, a direct target of top-seeded Tuckahoe, the clear favorites to represent in states….

CLASS AA

Two of the more storied franchises in Section 1 history – Mahopac and Lakeland – got after it Saturday morning on the Falls Field in Mahopac where the Wolf Pac made short work of the Hornets in an 8-2 Pac win. Lakeland took an early 2-1 lead when Tyler Hormazabel (2 hits) knocked in a run, but he was the only Hornets to stroke a hit off Mahopac senior P Robert Keller, who went six for the win, allowing just one hit and two runs (none earned) while whiffing 10.

“Keller has really stepped up for us this year and took on some big innings,” Nappi said. “And the last kid who struck out three was a sophomore call-up, Ryan Marino, in his first varsity action.”

Mahopac SS Tyler Castrataro is having a second All-Section season. He led the Wolf Pac with two hits (2B), two runs and a ribeye while Tyler Debrocky (2 RBI), Drew Lichtenberger (3 hits, 2B, RBI, run), Keller (RBI) and DJ DeMatteo (2 RBI) were part of an 11-hit attack.

Mahopac also notched a huge 5-3 winover visiting John Jay-East Fishkill earlier in the week when ace RHP Tyler Castrataro did not allow an earned run through five frames, allowing just one hit while whiffing seven and walking four. He also doubled home a run and survived four Wolf Pac errors. Reliever Keller (2.0 IP, no earned runs and one hit allowed, 3 K) earned the save for the Wolf Pac. Vince Cataldo (1-4, double, two RBI, two runs) had a day while Lichtenberger and DeBrocky both went 1-3 with an RBI.

Walks were an issue in Mahopac’s 11-5 loss to reigning NYS Class AA champion RCK Friday when the free passes enabled RCK to take an early 6-1 lead before the Wolf Pac knew what hit them. What could hit them this week is a home-and-home series against Arlington before finishing out the regular season with Greeley.

Yorktown posted a 16-5 win over Brewster behind AJ Solla (3-3, four RBI) and Jeff Nunez (2 hits, three RBI) and followed it up with an 8-5 win to complete the sweep of the Bears, giving the Huskers wins in three of the last four games. P Ryan Dinapoli (4IP, 0R, 4K) earned the win while Derek Patrissi (2-4, 3RBI), Lirim Biberaj (2RBI) and Mike Peralta (3B) showed support at the plate.

Yorktown was having its way with Brewster before Bear George Handal cracked a sixth-inning grand slam.

Fox Lane started the week on a high note with wins over White Plains (6-0) and Greeley (14-4) before finishing the week with two close losses to Arlington (2-1) and Greeley (3-1), who avoided the sweep behind an impressive pitching performance from Quaker Zach Bond. Between Bond and Virginia-commit Ben Schulman, the Quakers, who are 2-2-1 in the last four, have enough pitching to possibly make some noise in the postseason.

Fox Lane can do likewise behind St. John’s commit Tyler Renz, who combined with winning hurler Logan Hicks on a two-hit, 6-0 shutout of White Plains. Fox C Logan Mammola and IF John Czernyk had two RBI each while Danny Spolansky singled home another for the Foxes, who have dropped three of the last five; much to the displeasure of Fox Coach Matt Hillis.

“Coach is definitely not wrong,” Fox Lane IF Logan Provost said. “The only choice we have is to pick it up. Stay tuned, the boys are coming out hot for these last regular season games.”

In the win over Greeley, Logan Provost (3-3, sac fly, double, four RBI), Mammola (2 hits, 3 RBI), Peter Portugues (2 hits, three RBI), Will Rudolph (RBI) and P.J. Stonsby (RBI) supported winning pitcher Frank Salvatorelli (4 IP, 0 earned runs and 5 hits, 4 K).

Somers P Rhys Carway went the distance in a four-hit, 4-0 shutout of Byram Hills. Carway fanned a career-high 15 against just one walk for the surging Tuskers, who swept the Bobcats, also taking a 10-1 verdict. In the shutout, Nick Conti (2 RBI, 2B), Andrew Kapica (RBI single) and John Robinson (RBI single) all delivered for the Tuskers (8-6), who have come on of late with wins in four of the last five as Erik Gersfeld is hitting at a torrid .511 clip with 16 RBI for the season.

“It’s definitely been an up and down season for us,’ 2nd-year Somers Coach JT Genovese admitted. “We have three or four seniors that have big roles on the team, and the rest are sophomores and juniors, so we needed some time to get them acclimated. We’re playing well now and things are starting to come together, but as you know all too well it also comes down to a little luck of the draw with the seeding. This last week is going to be big for us with a league title on the line and a chance to show how we match up against some of the better teams in Class AA and A (Yorktown twice, Fox Lane, Lakeland, and JJCR).”

CARMEL (4-13) knocked off 2023 Class A finalist John Jay-Cross River, 4-2, when winning P Brian McGrory (6.0 IP, 1 earned run, 6 hits, 9 K, 0 BB) fired a gem while Ram Trevor Carty (2-2, three RBI, BB) sparked the lineup from the bottom of the order.

CLASS A

Despite a 2-1 extra-inning oss to Class AAA New Rochelle and a 4-3 setback to Pelham, Walter Panas remains among the upper crust in class.

Against New Ro, Panas senior P Alex Enea fired six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits. He fanned four and walked as many but came away with the no-decision as the Panthers left eight on base. Jordan Fiore (2-for-4), Randy Wiesner (run) and Gianni Generoso (RBI 2B) put some good licks on the ball but not enough.

Panas also thumped Sleepy Hollow, taking a pair of league games to remain atop the league standings at 5-1.

“We’ll be good, things have been starting to click defensively and heating up offensively,” Generoso said. “We’ve got a few things we need to work on, such as producing with runners on base, but we’re not worried about that. With five games left in the regular season, there’s no doubt in my mind we’re gonna get hot just in time for the playoffs.”

With No.1 Tappan Zee, No.2 Rye and No.3 Nanuet all flexing, the defending Class A champion Panthers have some obstacles in their way.

“There is absolutely some tough competition out there, but I believe in our pitching staff and lineup to produce enough to get the job done,” Generoso said.

Lakeland struggled mightily last week, going 0-3-1, including a 5-5 10-inning affair with Hen Hud, which shocked Rye, 2-1, later in the week behind a gem from P Max Lipton (7 IP, 2 hits, 11 Ks), which snapped the Sailors out of a three-game funk. The Sailors have a tough hill to climb down the stretch, facing Lakeland, Nanuet and Eastchester to close it out.

Lakeland also fell to OSSINING, 5-1, earlier in the week when Pride P Joe Post fanned seven and chalked up the complete-game victory. Support came from Brian Hoffman (3-4, two RBI) while Jake Dymond (2-4, five steals) ruled the base paths. Ossining also rocked Port Chester, 15-1, when P Chase Kaplan fired a complete game and Thomas Jennings (3-5, five RBI) and Joe Acampora (3-5, two RBI) did damage at the dish.

Lakeland can also look back fondly on Friday’s 13-inning 1-0 win over host Yorktown in the 42nd annual Sorrentino Cup game. Coach CJ Riefenhauser and the Huskers will have to wait a year for another crack at the coveted cup.

Briarcliff  took a 7-3 league win over Valhalla when Max Amador (5 Ks) fired three innings without allowing an earned run for his first varsity win. He also went 2-4 with an RBI and a run. James Mulligan (RBI, run), Sebastian Martinez (2-4, home run, two RBI, two runs) and Lucas Golovscenko (2-4, 2B, run) all mashed for the Bears.

A Class A Byram Hills program that has produced big time in years past is struggling by their standards this season, but a 9-7 win over Putnam Valley was just what the doctor ordered after being swept by Somers. Dylan Ettinger (2-4, home run, RBI, two runs), Ben Rothenberg (1-2, double, two walks, RBI, two runs), Jake Smelser (1-3, two RBI, run), Bryce Baskind (RBI) and Jason Daly (RBI) all supported the first career win of Noah Donoho before Logan Verma notched the save. The Bobcats will know for sure where they stand heading into the playoffs as they conclude the regular season with Panas and Harrison.

CLASS B

Croton-Harmon erased Westlake, 5-3, behind a splendid effort from P Mekhi Smithwick (6.2 IP, 6 K), who supported his own cause with a double and a run. Teammates Sam Levine (2-4, triple, two RBI) and Aidan Callahan (2-3, RBI) had the hot bats before reliever Spencer Heath earned the save.

Max Fredman, Korey DeBeer, Levine and Owen Mintzer each drove home three in the Tigers’ 23-2 romp of Saunders, but the Tigers were lacking thump in the aforementioned loss to Putnam Valley’s DeBenedetto. PV’s Ricky Meister (2 for 3) and Aaron Pierre (3B) drove in clutch runs.

Putnam Valley also bested a struggling Haldane club, 7-1, behind P Connor Flynn’s four-hit effort. He fanned seven and did equal damage at the dish, stroking a three-run dinger. Sean Carroll, Jay Constantino and Jake Peterson all drove home a run while Meister doubled and scored. The league is down this year but Croton and PV should have at it today.

Pleasantville suffered two gut-wrenching losses and was swept by a powerful Rye Neck club (1-0 and 7-4, 9 innings) before overtaking Westlake, 9-1, behind a masterful effort from P Charles Bateman (7 IP, 1 ER) and a clutch effort at the plate from Jack Van Sise (2 hits, 2 RBI) and Russ Supranowitz (2 hits, 3 RBI). In the extra-inning loss to Rye Neck, P Jason Freberg (7 IP, 3 earned runs, 5 hits, 9 K, 4 BB) deserved a better fate than a no decision. Dermot McSpedon (1-4, double, RBI, run), Declan Bruder, Van Sise, John Preiser and Matt O’Neill each poked run-scoring singles.

The Panthers opened the week with a 6-2 win over Blind Brook, who could not get the timely hit off P Matt O’Neill (6 IP, 1 earned run, 9 hits, 9 K, 1 BB), who worked in and out of trouble. McSpedon (2-4, double, run), Preiser (2-2, two RBI, two runs), Bateman (2-3, RBI, two runs) and Supranowitz (1-3, RBI, run) backed their boy O’Neill.

 

ANDY JACOBS/GIL McMAHON/CHRIS SMAJLAJ/RAY GALLAGHER PHOTOS