Undefeated Carmel Crushing It; Panas Ekes Past Mahopac

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

If smoke and mirrors work this good, perhaps every manager would go the same route as CARMEL boss Joe Hackert, who joked that trickery or deceit (aka “smoke and mirrors”) was his most recent approach to managing the 2022 Rams, a unit with very little varsity experience that has, nonetheless, produced a 6-0 start as the reigning Section 1 Class AA champions.

Of the wins, a pair have come against quality foes like Clarkstown South (a 6-3 win) and FOX LANE (7-5 win), whom the Rams knocked off last week, after sweeping arch-rival MAHOPAC to open the season, before Sunday’s 6-3 win over visiting SOMERS.

But this is just the start of otherwise arduous grind for the Rams, a future that includes two games against Suffern (4-1), two against John Jay EF and a pair against Arlington (5-0), not to mention two bouts with North Rockland and near-perennial finalists RCK. Those are some of the sickest programs in Section 1 history. And throw in another with Class A favorite Walter Panas (5-0).

By the time the sectional tourney rolls up in mid-May, Hackert’s Rams will have faced one of the toughest schedules in NYS, as will all the others. Class AA baseball is no joke in this neck of the woods, so don’t get too high or too low #StayLevel as we embark upon what should be a wild Class AA campaign, which features Arlington as the team to beat.

Against Clarkstown South (4-1), Carmel senior SS Kevin Dall had a pair of hits and drove home two runs to set the standard he has often set as a three-sport star. He supported lefty P Mark Yorio, who went 5.1 for the win. Danny Monahan, Yorio (2B), Jon Melarczik and Nevin Scaperotti each poked home a run for the Rams.

Against Somers, Rams P Danny Youngman secured the win and Matt Gay chalked up the save. Dall, Monahan and Brendan Murphy had two hits apiece to push across the runs.

Previously, Carmel battled back from a 5-3 deficit against Fox Lane. P Gay earned the win with four scoreless innings of relief. Scaperotti went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI to lead a nine-hit parade. But it was small ball that won the game when Danny Monahan snapped the tie in the bottom of the sixth with a suicide squeeze. Fox Lane P Michael Lombardi lasted five innings and fanned nine for the no-decision. Lombardi crushed it at the plate, going 2 for 2 with a double and two RBI. Teammate Logan Matson (3-4, 2B) also did some damage for the Foxes (1-3).

CLASS A

YORKTOWN ace Matt Alduino looked every bit the part in the Huskers’ 4-0 win over Pelham, firing a two-hit shutout with nine whiffs to boot. Jon Munoz and Stephen Haglund each had a pair of hits for the Huskers (2-2), who draw Mahopac, Hen Hud and Valhalla this week as they seek to get over .500 just days after their trip to Florida was canceled #BigTimeBummer.

HEN HUD saw ace Josh Shea pitched 5⅔ innings in a 4-3 win over SOMERS. Eli Negron scored the winning run for Hen Hud. Shea started the game on the bump, was relieved and then returned to secure the save.

“It was a must win in our book,”  Sailor skipper Van Vourliotis said. “Hence the move to bring Shea back. We are very young (eight sophomores, five of them are everyday regulars). Our pitching staff has just one senior. We’re just a scrappy bunch.”

The Sailors (2-1) also raked Roosevelt, 10-0, behind junior Mike Gagliardi (4-4, HR, 3B) who supported P Derek Deresh (5IP, 7K).

“We’ve got a huge test this week with Mahopac, Byram, Nanuet and Yorktown all in the next five days,” Vourliotis said.

MAHOPAC 2B Anthony DeMatteo had three RBI and a run while 1B Anthony Mante went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI in a 9-1 win over visiting LAKELAND. Indians Joey Koch, Tyler DeBrocky, Joe Vitanza and Frank Caminitti each drove home a run to support P Conor Watts, who allowed just three hits and no earned runs while fanning seven over six innings. Lakeland CF Frank Kowall drove home the only Hornet run.

Lakeland (2-4) then went out on Saturday and secured Coach Justin McCarthy’s second varsity win, 8-6, over Horace Greeley; credit goes to Anthony DeCesare (3 for 4, 3B, 4 RBI). McCarthy’s first win came in Friday’s 8-2 win over Clarkstown North, who allowed Justin Ramos to flirt with a no-hitter for four frames. Ramos allowed an earned run and three hits over five innings and drew a ton of support from Kowal (2 for 3, 2R, RBI), Brandon Forte (2 for 3, 2 RBI) and Devan Diaz (2 for 3, 2R, RBI).

PANAS Coach Anthony Fata had been waiting for the eruption through the first three games of the young season, and he finally got it when a previously-slumping Sam Stafura snapped out of it with a two-run, game-tying triple in the Panthers’ 6-5 win over Ossining. Panas 3B Jackson DiLorenzo drove the Clemson-bound SS Stafura home with a walkoff single and reliever Alex Enea earned the win over the feisty Pride (2-2), which then went on to shock Mamaroneck, 5-3, behind ace Nolan Sniffen, who whiffed seven and allowed two earned runs on five hits over seven innings. Kevin Wittekind went 2 for 3 with two runs scored for the Pride.

“I was very proud of my boys,” Ossining Coach Scott Deleso said after the Panas game. “We had them at 5-3 with two outs in the last inning and just couldn’t close it out.”

Panas (5-0) added to its unbeaten season in Friday’s 2-1 come-from-behind win over Mahopac (1-4). Indian OF Koch went big fly off DiLorenzo for a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh, but DiLorenzo, who fanned 15 and fired a two-hit complete game, drove home the game-winning RBI after RF Aidan Cohall tied the game with a ground rule double. Mahopac P Chris McKeon allowed just one hit and struck out seven Panthers over five innings in a monumental effort. It was a heart-breaking setback for Mahopac, but provided Coach Myk Lugbauer’s Indians can get the bats going consistently; with McKeon on the hill, they proved anything is possible.

Baseball coaches are encouraged to email results and comments or provide a stat sheet to raygallaghersports@gmail.com