Forest Hill Gets District Win Over Atlantic

Mike Entenza threw 5 innings while also going 1-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs.

Bucky Dent once said about the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox rivalry, “There’s a hate-respect thing between us. We didn’t like each other at all, but we had a respect for the great players Boston had. That’s part of what makes the Yankees and Red Sox special.”

The same can be said about any rivalry or division foe really. So it’s only fitting that on Tuesday night in the shadows of the Bucky Dent Baseball Academy at the place called Little Fenway, two district foes with respect for one another in Forest Hill and Atlantic would face off. It’s also fitting that, just like that faithful night at the real Fenway Park in 1978, a home run ended up being the go-ahead score that would eventually give Forest Hill a 4-2 victory.

With two outs and nobody on in the fourth, Falcons right fielder Kylan Barnett crushed a ball over the right field fence to break a 1-1 tie, and Forest Hill would never look back.

“He threw it in my spot and I just did what we do in practice and hit it,” Barnett said.

It might not have been Dent hitting it over the Green Monster, but Barnett’s home run broke the tie and helped Forrest Hill to a 2-0 start in district play.

“It was a great complete effort,” Manager Russ Miliken said. “We sat some guys early and we came out and I was happy with the way the younger guys played. They came in with some confidence. The kids that came to the plate got hits in clutch positions. Atlantic is a good ball club.”

It was a complete effort all around for Forest Hill on the night. The team played sound defensively and got the hits when needed at the plate.

“Tonight we proved that we have a very good defense,” Miliken said. “That outfield that we have out there, especially the second outfield we put out there with Josh Katinger, Jose Torres and Max Howard, you better hit it a long way or hit a line drive if you want that ball to drop. They all have above average speed and they are very good outfielders. We had two or three double plays, and that’s a pitchers best friend. When you pick up those multiple outs at once it really puts a lot into your defensive game.”

The Falcons were lead on the night by starting pitcher Mike Entenza, who earned the win. In addition to his impressive performance on the mound, he also helped his own cause at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the second and a sacrifice bunt that resulted in another RBI in the sixth.

Stefan Leclerc went 2-for-2 with a single, double, and an RBI.

“I felt pretty confident with my stuff on the mound today,” Entenza said. “The ball looked beautiful at the plate as well.”

Entenza pitched five innings while allowing just one run on four hits.

“Mikey went out and threw a heck of a five innings and did a great job and we are real happy with that,” Miliken added.

After the Falcons jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, Atlantic came back and tied it in the bottom of the third on Stefan Leclerc’s RBI double. But the Eagles left nine men on base on the night, and that’s something that Manager Steve Wilson knows that they need to work on.

“We left too many people on base,” Wilson said. “We left nine people on base. We also hit into two or three double plays. That’s a lot of people on base and we don’t get them home. It’s something we have been battling all year and we will correct it. We have a plan in place and we are going to stick to the plan. I have confidence in what my kids can do for me. We are struggling but it’s early and we have plenty of time to bounce back.”

Atlantic won’t have to wait to long to bounce back either as the Eagles will hit the road to face Spanish River on Thursday.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!