Calhoun braces for stretch run

Coming down the stretch, the race to the top of Conference AA-III baseball got a little closer with Calhoun dropping a 9-2 decision to MacArthur last Monday. The Colts (9-4 overall, 9-3 in Conference AA-III) held a slim one-win lead over both the Generals (8-1) and district-rival Mepham (8-3) with just five games remaining on their schedule, all against the two other teams jockeying for position.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how everyone handles the pressure,” Calhoun coach Joe Corea said of his team, which won last year’s Long Island Championship but returned just two starters entering the spring. “Nine wins is pretty good at this stage, and [the finish against MacArthur and Mepham] is great for baseball.”

The loss, the Colts’ second in a row — they also dropped a 12-9 non-conference decision to Oceanside last Friday — came on the heels of an impressive series win against Port Washington in which the pitching staff allowed just four runs over three games. Pitching led the way for Calhoun as it raced out to nine wins in its first 11 games, with junior Zach Mastrangelo spinning a 6-0 shutout over the Vikings in the rubber-game of the series on April 18. He allowed just four hits and three walks with four strikeouts, getting offensive support from senior first baseman Kevin Hiss, who drove in a pair of runs.

Two days earlier, senior Tommy Murphy was even more masterful, allowing only one hit — a clean sixth inning single to right, while striking out seven — in a 7-1 victory over Port Washington. He also helped his cause at the plate with three runs batted in. “[Our pitchers] have done a great job and kept us in ballgames,” Corea said. “All three [including junior starter Colin Lowe] come out and just throw strikes.

“They’re not strikeout pitchers, but they keep the ball down and we play defense behind them. We’ve turned a lot of double plays this year, which is unheard of in high school.”

The defensive wizardry has been led by junior shortstop Chris Molito, who’s also hitting at a better-than-.400 clip, and senior second baseman Andrew Cordova, who’s been a surprise both in the field and also with the bat. Senior Matt Piloti has become a steadying influence at the hot corner, and Hiss continues to flash his glove at first. Senior catcher Dilan Morris-Timoney has held his ground behind the plate and handled the staff well.

At the plate, Calhoun’s all-hands-on-deck approach has been led by Melito in the leadoff spot and Murphy, a strong contact hitter with speed at No. 2, setting the table for the lineup’s two most experienced bats swung by senior centerfielder Tommy Joannou and Hiss.

The series with district-rival Mepham is set for next Monday, and May 2 on the Pirates homefield with the Colts hosting the middle game next Tuesday. And on a day that could coincide with a first-round Class AA playoff matchup (May 11), Calhoun will retire the jerseys of three former players — Steve Grilli, who graduated in 1967, Paul Voight, who graduated in ‘76 and Jake Thomas, the programs’ first-ever Diamond Award winner as the best player in Nassau County, who graduated in 2011.