Newman Shuts Out St. Andrew’s In Game Of The Week

The Crusaders offense had two big innings to break the game wide open.

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St. Andrew’s and Cardinal Newman are old rivals. On Thursday night the two clubs began their 2014 edition of a rivalry that dates back for decades.

Behind a strong start from Anthony Zaleski and an opportunistic offense the host Crusaders cruised to a 10-0 victory, in the HSBN Palm Beach Game of the Week played at Jack Kokinda Sports Complex at Cardinal Newman High. Zaleski picked up the complete-game shutout win in the five-inning shortened contest that ended when Robbie Hoyt drove an RBI single past third base to score Bruce Steel in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Zaleski was in control seemingly from the very first pitch. The left-hander mixed speeds and changed up his routines and pitch sequences, and the results kept him in control of the batters throughout the night.

“He did a nice job of keeping them off balance,” said Cardinal Newman Manager Sean Comfort. “He has two second pitches, the changeup and the curveball. When those pitches are on, and he can throw them effectively for strikes, with his fastball, it is a tough day for those guys. That is what he did tonight, and we just need him to stay consistent like that throughout the year. So far his first two starts he’s been lights out and we’re real proud of him.”

Zaleski struck out 10 batters in five innings, while scattering two hits and three walks along the way.

“I just wanted to stay relaxed and throw it in there, and get the outs,” Zaleski said. “I’m out here everyday working and I’ve just got to trust my stuff, and trust my team that they’re going to make plays for me. When I get my wind up and I get my release point going and I’m keeping everything down, I know that it’s looking funny to them so they’re not going to be able to hit it. My curveball is doing all crazy stuff and when I’ve got some velocity on my fastball everything is working together.”

It was a difficult day at the plate for the Scots batters, many of whom are still getting their first swings at the varsity level. With so many new and young faces, St. Andrew’s (1-3) is experiencing some growing pains. Although the results are not there yet, first-year Manager Rich Mahon does appreciate the approach.

“I’m proud of these guys tonight,” said Mahon. “They came up against Newman tonight, and Newman is a proven baseball school, a proven powerhouse. What Sean does over there is great. These guys came out and fought tooth and nail. We’ll learn from this and we’ll get better each day and continue to build.”

Both ball clubs came into Thursday’s tilt with a concentrated effort to have better at bats, and to bring a focused approach to the plate. In both cases, the players followed direction, and both coaches were equally pleased by that. The Crusaders (4-1) were able to work deep counts and not be as jumpy as they had been to start the season, while the Scots managed to be patient and make the pitcher prove he can throw strikes.

Richie Rocca had one of the Scots’ two hits in the contest.

Zaleski proved that he could do just that, and the result was his second win of the season.

The Crusaders were quick to stake him with a lead, putting four runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning to take control of things. Daniel Cole walked and Steel followed by crushing a pitch deep to centerfield for a double that drove Cole all the way around the bases for the first run of the contest.

A pair of errors kept the frame alive, as Zaleski reached on an error and was replaced by courtesy runner German Torres, and Rudy Viton was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Luis Besteiro. The left fielder drove a shot that was misplayed to allow all three base runners to come home.

“I wish we could have given them a better game, but two errors in baseball can leave the doors wide open,” admitted Mahon. “At times we missed some signs, but that’s because we’re very young and we’re working through that right now. It’s just part of baseball. Our district is loaded and these guys are going up against the big boys in our district. Where we are now is where some of these teams have been in the past, and that’s our motto is to getting better every day and having fun doing it.”

The Crusaders put things away by batting around the order in the fourth, putting five more runs on the board to open a commanding advantage.

“It’s not fun losing games, but there is always a positive we can take out of games. Tonight our young guys showed a lot of poise,” said Mahon. “Our freshman Calvin Bocchino on the mound, he came out and he threw like he was a senior. We weren’t able to back him up in clutch situations. But he’s going to be one of the guys who will set a lot of records at our school. Even some of the older guys look up to him because they see his skill set and they see that he is a ballplayer. We’ve just got to get him and a lot of other guys cutting down on the mental mistakes.”

Bocchino took the loss for the Scots, but delivered a gutsy and valiant effort. The freshman showed no intimidation to attack the batters, featuring a deceptive release that helped him working ahead in the counts. The right-hander struck out three on 78 total pitches over three innings of work.

Bocchino’s best inning came in the third, when he needed just nine pitches to get the three outs thanks in part to a strong play by the defense behind him. Besteiro ripped a one-out single up the middle, and Anthony Mages followed by lacing a liner to right field. Besteiro broke for third on the base hit, but Scots right fielder Pete Duros fired the ball to Richie Rocca, who relayed it to Jordan Spitzburg at third in time to make the tag for the out. Brady McConnell then followed that by chasing down a squibbler to first and tossing it to Bocchino covering the bag in time for the final putout that ended the frame.

The Crusaders made a few fine plays of their own on Thursday. In the top of the fifth Mages made a nice stab on a screamer down the third base line, and then was able to fire the ball across the diamond in time to get the batter out.

Luis Besteiro had a single and also reached on an error for the Crusaders.

Plays such as those are becoming more routine for a Crusaders ball club loaded with experienced and talented players. Newman has gotten off to a strong start to the season in winning their last four games, and it has opened District 4A-13 competition with a victory. The team can also enjoy the thrill of winning the Game of the Week over a longtime rival in front of their home fans.

“We loved being the Game of the Week. Everything was great and it’s going to a good cause,” said Comfort. “We appreciate everything HSBN did for us and we can’t wait to do it again in March.”

Newman will travel to Dwyer on March 8th for another HSBN Palm Beach Game of the Week showdown.

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