Baseball championship for LWA

Lawrence Woodmere Academy avenged regular-season defeats to Bay Ridge Prep and Brooklyn Friends in the PSAA (Private School Athletic Association) baseball playoffs to capture its first league title since 2006.

The third-seeded Tigers beat No. 4 Brooklyn Friends in the championship game, 7-5, at MCU Park on May 25. Freshman pitcher Jakob Cayne scattered five hits and five walks and struck out five in a complete-game effort. Senior Mike Scott went 3-for-3 and scored twice, and senior Mark Freeman broke things open in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run single that upped the lead to five. 

“We had some ups and downs, but I knew these guys were capable of going all the way,” LWA coach Mike Cohn said. “I’m not shocked. We stayed focused and approached every game with a goal to play a full seven innings.”

Cayne, a southpaw, pitched both games in the playoffs thanks to a four-day break in between. He won six of seven decisions on the year and also led the Tigers in RBI with 14 and ranked third on the team in batting average at .441. “Jakob establishes his fastball and mixes in a slider and change-up,” Cohn said. “He struck out a lot of batters early in the year but learned how to pitch to contact more as the year went on. He has a bright future.”

Cayne’s battery mate, freshman Neil Boneparth, erased three runners on the bases in the championship game. Boneparth was the team’s clean-up batter and hit at a .400 clip with 10 RBI. “Jakob and Neil play on the same summer league team and have chemistry,” Cohn said. “They had big years for us and were surrounded by a great group of seniors.”

Scott, a four-year starter who spent the majority of time at shortstop, and senior center fielder Austin Rosenthal served as captains and set the tone at the top of the lineup. “It was nice for them to cap their careers with a championship,” Cohn said. Scott led the Tigers (9-7 overall) on and off the field, and also at the plate with a .543 average. Scott and Rosenthal had 13 steals apiece, and Rosenthal’s .361 average was 100 points higher than a year ago.

Freeman, who sat out 2009, came back and didn’t miss a beat. He provided a steady glove at second base and batted .391. Junior third baseman Ian Shoenfeld (.469 avg.) had a big year all around, including on the mound, senior first baseman Holden Collick brought his leadership from the basketball court to the diamond, and sophomore Michael Licatesi was a key contributor in the outfield. 

“We’ve always had a strong pitching team, and this was the best-hitting team we’ve had in years,” Cohn explained. “We hit one through nine, and we were aggressive on the bases.”