Sweep puts Indians over .500

Senior third baseman Kevin Brethel homered twice and knocked in five runs, and pitcher J.J. McLaughlin tossed a three-hitter while striking out 10 to lead host Sewanhaka to 12-2 win over Westbury last Friday in a Countywide Conference baseball game. The win gave the Indians a sweep of the three-game series. 

Brethel, who missed six games due to a bout with mononucleosis, had 10 RBI in his first two games back in the lineup. With the sweep of Westbury, Sewanhaka improved to 7-5. The Green Dragons fell to 4-8.

Veteran coach Mike Ryan is pleased with the progress of his team. “We’ve put in the time and worked real hard to improve,” Ryan said. “We’re a young team, so we’ve made the typical mistakes that young teams make. We only have 12 players on the roster, so guys are playing multiple positions. I’m happy with how the team is playing.”

The Indians got the season off to a solid start with a three-game sweep of Roosevelt. J.J. McLaughlin threw a two-hitter in the opener to lead the Indians to a 13-1 victory, and the next afternoon Shane McLaughlin matched his brother’s performance by yielding only a pair of hits in a 12-1 win. Joshua Castro had three hits, including a home run in the season opener.

Sophomore Nick Dempsey, who has been Sewanhaka’s most consistent pitcher, picked up his first varsity win with 13-5 victory in the series finale. Dempsey had his best outing of the season when he struck out nine batters over six innings in a 12-4 win over Westbury.

After dropping the series opener against district-rival Elmont, the Indians got back on track with a thrilling 10-8 road victory. Shane McLaughlin and Josh Castro both hit a pair of doubles to lead Sewanhaka’s offensive attack. Shane McLaughlin picked up the win, and J.J. McLaughlin got the last five outs to nail down the save. The Spartans won the rubber match, 7-6.

The Indians have received terrific play from senior catcher and leadoff batter Ryan Miller. The team captain has been a tough out all season long, and his defense behind the plate has been superb. As Miller goes, so go the Indians.