Baldwin clicking in all areas

A deep pitching rotation and a well-rounded lineup have helped fuel Baldwin’s 3-1 start on the baseball diamond (0-1 in Conference AA-II) that already includes a 9-8 victory over Calhoun, the Nassau Class AA defending champions that return almost completely intact and widely regarded as the top team in 2011.

The Bruins jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first thanks to four hits and a double steal by sophomore Travis Hylton and senior catcher Luis Aponte, survived a six-run fifth inning by the Colts and went ahead for good on a solo home run by senior center fielder Jake Cleva in the seventh.

“It was real big,” Baldwin coach Frank Esposito said of the win. “You assume that they’re coming in as the No. 1 seed in Nassau County, so it was really big. We put a bunch of hits together [in the first] and didn’t stop.”

Baldwin banged out 10 hits in support of senior Tommy Kelleher, who pitched a complete game and scattered nine hits with three walks with three strikeouts. He was hurt by a pair of errors in the fifth that opened the doors for the Colts’ rally.

Keeping the momentum from the Calhoun win going, the Bruins knocked off Kennedy, 5-2, last Friday behind a complete game five-hitter from senior Nick LoBello, who also struck out seven and allowed just two walks. But LoBello’s success wasn’t just limited to his work in front of the plate. The five-year varsity player and All-County shortstop also crushed a grand slam at the plate giving Baldwin a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

One of the keys to continued success will be a deep pitching staff that also includes senior Tim Ennis, who moves into the rotation after seeing time as a reliever last season, and senior Louie Lopez, one of the early season’s biggest surprises. He went the distance in his first varsity start, a season-opening 7-3 victory over Freeport on April 4, and allowed just five hits with four walks, striking out seven. Hilton smacked a pair of homers and drove in five runs to support Lopez. “He pounds the strike zone in and out and goes after the batter,” Esposito said of the senior.