Cardinal Newman Showcases Power Against Atlantic

Rudy Viton had two hits and a walk in Cardinal Newman’s 13-2 win over Atlantic.

Extra running has been a strong motivator for Cardinal Newman over the last two games.

The Crusaders had 10 hits, including a triple and four doubles, en route to a 13-2 triumph in five innings over Atlantic on the third day of the Dave Manzo Spring Tournament Thursday at Forest Hill High School.

“The first day we had Okeechobee, their kid struck us out 12 times, and we had three solid base hits,” said Crusaders Manager Sean Comfort. “We came out flat, we lost a game we really shouldn’t have been in, we lost it by a run (4-3). They came in and they ran a lot in the morning before the next game. And they came out against a good Boynton Beach team and they ended up getting 11 hits. They really reacted well, very positive.”

Cardinal Newman’s hitters continued to respond against Atlantic pitchers Duane Cyr, E.J. Hernandez and James Butera.

“We’re hitting the ball hard, they’re starting to find the holes,” Comfort said, who smiled when talking about the extra running as motivation. “The running is the key, especially this age group. They don’t like to run.”

The Crusaders (9-5) broke open the game in the third inning, scoring five runs to take a 9-0 lead. They sent 11 batters to the plate, taking advantage of four walks and a hit batter to complement a leadoff triple by Anthony Zaleski and an RBI single by Patrick Foley, along with a sac fly by German Torres.

Zaleski, Foley, Rudy Viton and Bruce Steel finished with two hits each for the Crusaders. Torres, Foley and Steel drove in three runs apiece.

Starting pitcher Robbie Hoyt was the beneficiary of his teammate’s offense. The junior right-hander went the distance, allowing only three hits, while striking out two and walking one.

He gave up all three hits and the walk in the bottom of the third when the Eagles (5-12-1) averted a shutout with a two-out rally.

Duane Cyr was the first of three pitchers for Atlantic.

Nick Cortese, Atlantic’s No. 9 hitter, broke up the no-hitter with a single past the diving second baseman.

The hit seemed to fluster Hoyt and Atlantic took advantage. Alex Cordes followed with a single to left and Joey Ohannesian reached on an error to load the bases. Jarren Pinkney followed with an RBI single to center and Hoyt walked George Engroff on a 3-2 pitch to force in the second run.

But Hoyt didn’t allow a runner over the final two innings.

“He’s been pretty consistent all year,” Comfort said. “His ball had a little more movement today. I chalked it up to the humidity. I was teasing him. He doesn’t like to sweat. He did a great job keeping the ball down, keeping them off balance.”

Atlantic Manager Steve Wilson wasn’t happy with his team’s overall performance.

“Give them (Cardinal Newman) all the credit, they played a very good game,” Wilson said.

After the Crusaders’ big inning, Wilson gathered his team in the dugout and gave them a pep talk and it worked.

“They came back, they responded, they didn’t give up, that was the big thing,” Wilson said. “It just wasn’t our day.”

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