59.0°,
Overcast Baldwin hits hot streak
Much like Mother Nature, it took Baldwin a little time to heat up this spring, but last week’s three-game sweep of East Meadow is sure to turn a few heads. The Bruins (4-4 overall, 3-0 in Conference AA-II) pounded out a total of 31 runs, scoring at least 10 in each game of their series with different players shouldering the offensive load in each game. Senior co-captain Danny Capone, who totaled eight hits in the three games, sealed the sweep with three runs batted in to lift Baldwin to a 10-1 win on April 10, to back the pitching of junior Matt Lyle, who pitched a complete game and scattered five hits.
“Everything was working for us and the pitchers were throwing great,” Bruins coach Frank Esposito said of his team. “They’re coming together as a team.”
An early bumpy road that included a 1-4 start in crossover games smoothed out
quickly for the Bruins once their Conference AA-II scheduled started. Esposito did a little tinkering to the lineup — specifically moving junior catcher Matt Hines up to the third spot in the order from the seventh slot — and the associated juggling has already gone a long way. “Kelleher is swinging the hottest bat on the team, banging out singles and doubles left and right, but Hines and Mahoney have been the most consistent even in the early losses,” Esposito said.
Senior speedster Travais Hylton became the new leadoff hitter after starting as the
Travais on base once the entire series,” Esposito said, noting the clean-up work performed by the rest of the lineup when Hylton is hitting singles and doubles. “With Hines, Mahoney and Kelleher [in the heart of the order] it was tough to keep him from scoring.”
Hitting behind Hylton are senior Joe LoBello, Hines, senior Ryan Mahoney and senior Matt Kelleher. In the series opener, an 11-3 Bruins win on April 8, the duo of Mahoney and Kelleher kept the bases clear. Each player had three hits and three RBI to back the pitching of Nick Arellano.
The sweep stretched Baldwin’s winning streak to four games — the first in the group was a 7-5 win over Syosset on April 4 — but it will be a while before the team can try to keep the number growing. Interrupted by a bye-week stretching 12 days between Conference AA-II games, the Bruins were hoping to stay sharp with a pair of scrimmages against MacArthur, a perennial Nassau County power. “It doesn’t come at a good time because we’re playing good baseball,” Esposito said. “I’m not crazy about it [the timing], but I am happy with the MacArthur scrimmages.”
Baldwin resumes Conference AA-II play on April 22, when Plainview JFK hits town with the first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
