Tigers Lose Two Games to New Rochelle to End Regular Season
White Plains senior shortstop Stephen Schiavone was the last player to leave the dugout after the Tigers lost a tumultuous battle to New Rochelle High School, 5-4, on Thursday, May 17, at White Plains High School.
Schiavone seemed to have the entire weight of the Tigers’ 9-10 season on his shoulders as he departed the field after the game. But in all actuality, the Tigers were up against New Rochelle(16-4), the No. 14 team in New York State, and played well enough to win, despite Shiavone’s error, close plays, arguments and an injury to their ace pitcher. “I told the team, we did enough to win the game but we did just a little bit more to lose it,” stressed Tigers Coach Marcel Galligani
Tigers sophomore ace Chris Medeot pitched five innings, giving up nine hits, three earned runs, and two walks, while striking out five Huguenots. Medeot was hit on the shin by a hard grounder to start the fifth inning but he stayed in the game to finish the inning.
“He is hurting right now. The ball hit him on the shin,” said Galligani after the game. “But that was not the reason we took him out of the game. Chris was up at about one-hundred pitches and I did want to extend him any further at this point.”
Medeot was relieved by junior Eric Smiley, who took the loss in the game, in the top of the sixth inning. Smiley gave up three walks in the top of the sixth but was almost bailed out by the double play ball hit by Huguenots Phil DiBuono, which Schiavone did not complete.
Also in the third inning there were two plays that could have turned the game the Tigers’ way. In the top of the third, a pitch by Medeot got past Tigers catcher Kyle Adams, which scored pitcher John Valente for the Huguenots.
Adams flipped the ball to Medeot covering the plate and he seemed to tag Valente out, but he dropped the ball. The play brought Galligani storming out of the dugout to vigorously argue the call. Galligani claimed Medeot did not drop the ball until he was showing it to the umpire to confirm the out, but the play stood.
Also in the bottom of the third inning Adams hit a solid double to centerfield to score Schiavone with the Tigers’ fourth run. But Adams was thrown out by Huguenots second baseman Chris Elefante, in another close play at the plate, after a single by Juan Payero. Elefante also had two hits and two RBI, in the game for New Rochelle.
Therefore, it could be said that Schiavone could have possibly saved the game for the Tigers with the unassisted double-play in the sixth inning with the score tied; but he certainly did not lose the game for the Tigers.
The Tigers generated enough offense to beat New Rochelle on Thursday despite Schiavone’s untimely error. The Tigers had six hits in the game, including an RBI sacrifice fly by Adams in the first inning to score Smiley, who led-off the game with a double.
The Tigers led the game 4-3 until the fifth inning but they could not get a man across the plate in the last four innings of the game. “Honestly, I feel we did enough offensively to win the baseball game. But unfortunately, we made a couple mistakes defensively and gave up bases on balls that hurt us and cost us the game,” evaluated Galligani.
Tigers’ junior centerfielder Sean Johnson slammed two doubles and had two RBI in the game. Despite the loss, Johnson feels confident about his team chances going into the Section 1 playoffs this week. “This could either ruin us or motivate us. Our batters are getting hot right now, I am pretty confident about the playoffs,” said Johnson.
The Tigers must stay motivated to be competitive in the Section 1 Playoffs. Yet, the Tigers were dealt another blow to their confidence the very next day. On Friday, May 18, they lost to the Huguenots again, this time 6-2 in New Rochelle, to end their regular season below .500 at 9-10.
Furthermore, the state of Medeot’s health is essential for the Tigers’ chances in the playoffs. Medeot did have time to rest and heal his shin. However, if Medeot can not deliver 100 percent on the mound in the playoffs, the Tigers will certainly sustain an early round exit.
In any event,White Plainsh as their work ahead of them in the postseason. Their southern neighbor Mamaroneck High School(15-5) is the league champ this year. Moreover, the neighboring Tigers swept an excellent New Rochelle team this season.
Then the Huguenots (16-4), who finished in second place in the league, have three aces on their pitching staff with Valente, Andrew Zigmont and Bruno Giordano. The Tigers are definitely the underdogs in the Section 1 playoffs. Nonetheless, they do have the potential to slay a couple of “dragons” in the postseason.
