Usual Class A Contenders Struggle to get Going; Somers/Yorktown Split Series

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

Class A baseball is a very vexing puzzle to figure out right now. There are several regular title contenders scraping the bottom of the barrel as this scribe returns from a very short but much-appreciated trip to the Jersey Shore last Thursday/Friday as temps soared and the beach roared for a visit.

Who had LAKELAND (0-7), FOX LANE (1-4), GREELEY (0-5-1) and HEN HUD (1-6) going a combined 2-22-1? Who had MAHOPAC, which didn’t even qualify for the postseason in 2022, opening at 6-1-1? Though that Indian schedule gets much tougher from this point forward. If you’re a big believer in the cream always rising to the top, which this scribe is, you’d have to think Fox Lane, which is as coached-up as any team in the section but has lost a pair of one-run games to mighty Suffern and Clarkstown South, figures it out. As for the rest of the aforementioned, with 27 Class A teams in the mix of potential playoff teams, time is of the essence, so it time to put the best foot forward or any shred of hope for catching fire – like reigning Class A champion SOMERS did last year – is lost.

Speaking of Somers, the champs got manhandled by Yorktown P Derek Patrissi last Monday when he pitched 5.2 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while whiffing seven in a 7-1 win. Patrissi also went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI to support his own cause.

“He’s a gamer,” Husker Coach CJ Riefenhauser said after the Huskers improved to 4-3 last week. Brian White went 2-for-4 with two runs for the Huskers, who failed to carry that momentum into the series finale when Somers mercy’d up on the Huskers in a 14-4 win Wednesday.

The Tuskers went up 4-0 early, but Yorktown chopped away and tied the game at 4-4 before the Tuskers exploded when C Evan Carway (3 BB, 2 RBI) smacked a solo home run to center before Somers batted around and put up 10 runs on the Huskers in the bottom of the fifth. Jay Creighton (3-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 runs) and Alex Kuchinsky (run, 2 hits, 3 RBI) had themselves a day. Eddie Branowski (2B, 2 RBI) and Pat Bracelin (2 runs, 2 hits, 2 RBI) chimed in as well. Somers IF Tommy Tan went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.

Husker pitchers had only given up four runs in their first five games before the Tusker onslaught. Tusker starter George Creighton lasted 4.1 IP, surrendering two earned runs on three hits and a somewhat shaky four walks. He did fan four to work out of trouble. His bro, Jay Creighton, closed out the fifth inning, with no runs and one hit. Jay Babe induced a strikeout for the final out with two Huskers stranded, ending the threat over the Huskers, who had Patrissi (2-for-3, RBI double) rake but not much else.

PANAS is stockpiling wins and emerging as the team to beat in Class A, much like last year when the Panthers were eliminated in the quarterfinals. But 2023 has a different vibe and Coach Anthony Fata’s Panthers (7-1) are taking no prisoners this season, having pitched four-straight shutouts against Arlington (8-0), Yonkers (17-0), Carmel (15-0) and John Jay CR (7-0). The slate gets tougher this week with Arlington, John Jay CR, Rye and a pair with defending Class A champ Somers on the horizon.

Clemson-bound senior SS Sam Stafura is crushing it: 600 BA, 16 RBI. ECU-bound senior Jackson DiLorenzo has emerged as a Section 1 Player of the Year candidate with numbers off the chart: .714 BA, 10 RBI, 2 HR at the plate; 3-0, 0.38 ERA, 36 K’s in 18.2 IP on the bump. Panas C Dan Wiitters, headed for Stetson this fall, is about the best backstop in Section 1, hitting .652 with 11 RBI and five 2B. This trio will be the first to admit they didn’t hit in big spots last year, which they view as a thing of the past. History is measured by championships and this Panas team has serious potential should they keep it real from start to finish.

In Panas’ rout of CARMEL, Tony Humphrey, yet another D-I-bound stud, was nearly flawless. Stafura went 2-for-3 with a grand slam. Witters was 4-for-4 with two RBI and a double while DiLorenzo (2B) went 3-for-3 with two RBI. Emerging junior Randy Wiesner was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI while Derek Hawley went 2-for-2 with two RBI.

MAHOPAC is going to prove to be one of two things; legit or fraud. The 6-1-1 start under first-year Coach Anthony Nappi has the Indians with a mindset they haven’t had in quite some time, but the competition hasn’t been overly competitive. Things will ramp up in the days ahead when, perhaps, traditionally, the toughest league competition in the state, heats up: John Jay EF, RCK, Carmel and Arlington fall in line.

Leading up, Mahopac has been steady, including a 7-3 win over LAKELAND when the Indians, trailing 3-2 entering the final inning, came from behind to win. Tyler Castrararo HR, (2 runs, 2 hits , 2 RBI) tied the game late and Big T – Tyler DeBrocky – cracked a game-winning grand slam for a youthful Mahopac club that might be a year away from serious contention for its first sectional title since the late 90’s.

Ramzi Done pitched six innings for the Hornets, allowing three earned runs off seven hits with six K’s. Dom Toscano (2-for-4, triple, RBI, run), Sergio Hormazabal (2-for-3, 2B, RBI) and Anthony DeCesare (RBI double) came up big for the struggling Hornets.

HEN HUD has had a rough start but a 9-5 win over BREWSTER might get the Sailors going after a few brutal losses to Brewster (8-1), Mahopac (14-4) and Yorktown (8-1). It’s not the start the Sailors envisioned, nor Brewster (3-4), which saw Jason McGill stroke a home run and three RBI in a losing effort against the Sailors.

FOX LANE P Tyler Renz had a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 7-3 loss to Clarkstown North. Will Rudolph doubled and Logan Mammola drove home a run in the loss.

CLASS AA

CARMEL nipped WHITE PLAINS, 3-1, when Kevin Heffernan (3-for-4) went off for two clutch RBI and Nevin Scaperotti went 2-for-4 with a double to support winning P Brian McGrory, who fired 6.1 innings without allowing an earned run off four hit, He had six strikeouts for the Rams (4-4). White Plains (4-4 overall, 3-2 in Section1) has since recovered with three consecutive wins over North Rockland (5-4), Mamaroneck (8-3) and Horace Greeley (14-4) and has a pair coming up with Fox Lane with league title implications on the line.

OSSINING improved to 3-4 having scored 44 runs (not a misprint) in a rout of East Ramapo, but the Pride were stopped short in a 10-5 loss to Arlington. Fox Lane is on deck, so we’ll see what the Pride are made of.

CLASS B

After a dreadful 0-3 start, VALHALLA posted four big wins last week, taking out North Salem, 5-4, after trimming PUTNAM VALLEY, 8-7 in extras before finishing with a 2-0 win over CROTON and a 9-8 thriller over Pawling.

Pitching has been the difference maker for Valhalla, which saw Jake Sekinsky shut down Croton in a shutout effort that included 14 punchouts and just two 2 hits allowed.

Against Pawling, Garrett Hoffman went 2 for 2 with an RBI two runs. Nathan Querfeld picked up the win on the mound with five solid innings.

Against PV, the Vikings (4-3) saw reliever Dylan Carbone chalk up the win, pitching 3.2 innings with one earned run allowed and three strikeouts.

Put Valley bounced back with a 3-1 win over Westlake. Pitcher Dylan Watson went 5 1/3, allowing just three hits, no earned runs with nine whiffs. Watson has looked every bit the ace this season, having gone 4-0 over 18.1 IP with 34 K’s, seven hits and two earned runs. Dominic

Benedetto went the rest of the way without allowing a hit for the Tigers (6-4). Jay Constantino, Rick Meister, Ryan Moriarty and Connor Flynn all had a hit. Meister, Moriarty and Chris Jacobson each had an RBI.

Croton chalked up an impressive 9-2 win over BRIARCLIFF. Tiger P Harry Kahn got the win behind eight strikeouts. Mekhi Smithwick and Aidan Callahan each had two hits and two RBI for the Tigers (4-3). The Bears slipped to 3-5.

PLEASANTVILLE stopped Put Valley dead in its tracks in a 4-3 Panther win, improving to 5-3. Panther P Joe Reich went 6.2 innings with six whiffs and 2 earned runs. Will Lent walked the Panthers off with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh. Declan Bruder went 3 for 4 with three singles and two runs while Dermot McSpedon went 2-4 with two runs scored.

Moriarty threw an excellent game, lasting six frames, allowing one earned run while fanning six. Meister, Moriarty, James Sanford, Flynn and Jacobson each had two hits. WMoriarty, Sanford, and Flynn each had 1 RBI.

In P’Ville’s 9-1 win over Edgemont, Panther P Jaden Lieb was on target for six innings, notching nine K’s. Declan Bruder (two hits) and Matt O’Neill (2 RBI) provided support for the Panthers (5-3).

BYRAM HILLS (4-4) split four games last week, including an 11-7 setback to a Sleepy Hollow team they crushed, 14-0, earlier in the week behind Dylan Ettinger (3 for 4, 5 RBI, 2 runs) and Bryce Baskind (3 RBI). Ettinger earned the mercy-win victory with five hitless innings and 12 punchouts in a dominant effort. The Bobcats (3-5) also suffered a 5-1 loss to Eastchester. Ben Rothenberg mustered the lone RBI off one of just two hits on the day. Justin Barad went 3 for 4 with four RBI and two runs in the loss to Sleepy. Jackson Frankel added two hits and two RBI.

BYRAM HILLS has long been the team to beat in recent Class A years, but a 4-4 start in Class B has the Bobcats searching for some answers, which they might have found in a 15-2 win over HALDANE, which has some tough games coming up. The Blue Devils recovered with three wins over some sub-par competition, including Obama School (20-1), Yonkers (5-4) and Tuckahoe (10-5). Casey Schreck and Jordan Baskind each doubled and drove home two for Bryam in its win over Haldane.