By Al Belbol
The Curé of Arts Knights made the Catholic Youth Organization playoffs by finishing third in Nassau County. Last year the Knights won the county championship, so defending their title was all the tougher. The other teams put up their best against the squad all season.
In the playoffs' semi-final round , the Knights faced a tough St. Kilians team from Farmingdale. It was rewarding to see these two squads make the playoffs because St. Kilians won the sportsmanship award this season, with Curé finishing right behind . Both teams care more about the character of their boys than how many wins they have.
St. Kilians tried to start the scoring in the first with aggressive base running. Justin Zuckerman threw out a runner headed to second on a hit to right field, and it seemed to set a tone for the game. St. Kilians led 1-0 going into the fifth inning as Brian Karp was pitching a gem for the Knights. Anthony Belbol led off the fifth with a solid single and immediately stole second to get himself into scoring position. Zach Hecht got the runner over by hitting to the right side, and James Elliott knocked in the tying run.
In the bottom of the fifth, St Kilians fought right back and took a 2-1 lead with one inning to play. It was gut check time once again for the Knights. Regrouping on the bench, all I asked of them as their coach was to give me their best. I never want the boys to look back at a game and wish they had tried harder. If they fail giving it their best, then tip your cap to the other team.
Brian Crean led off the final inning by reaching base on pure hustle and determination. Timmy Murphy followed with a clutch single, and both boys stole a base to set the team up for the rally they needed. Steven Weitzman knocked in the tying run with a single and lit up the crowd with his excitement. Danny Stern followed by knocking in the go-ahead run, and Brian Karp finished the rally with a long hit for a 4-2 lead. Karp then finished what he started and closed the game on the mound to send the Knights back to the championship game.
The championship match-up at Merrick Town Park was against St. Dominic's of Oyster Bay. The Knights came out swinging like never before. Weitzman led off with a single, and Stern, the team leader in batting average, followed with a hit. Karp and Ben Canarick knocked in the first two runs, but the Knights weren't done yet. Kieran Ryan, a fifth-grader playing up with the sixth- grade team, showed patience with a walk, and Murphy smacked a long double to put the Knights up 4-0. Danny Connelly, another new and exciting player for the team, capped the scoring with a run scoring single.
Ryan took the mound and showed great poise, throwing two shut-out innings. Ryan had a phenomenal year for Curé, striking out at least one batter in every inning he pitched for the Knights. Zack Haefling led off the second inning with a walk, and Weitzman knocked him in for a 6-0 lead. Haefling also had a bunt that stopped right on the foul line in a day when the Knights did it all right. My team knows when they get a comfortable lead that we don't "run up the score" because sportsmanship is first for Curé of Ars. I can't ask the boys not to swing the bats, though, and on this day they were hot.
Belbol, after hitting the longest shot of the day for a double, took the mound in his first playoff appearance. Belbol stayed focused, threw strikes, and let up one hit and struck out the side in the third. It was time for Karp to take the mound, and as he did, you could almost hear "Enter Sandman," the anthem used by both closers on the Mets and Yankees.
Karp let up only one hit and the only walk of the game in three innings. Karp got seven of the nine outs on strikeouts, giving him an amazing 48 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched this spring. The final score was 9-1, and the Knights had successfully defended their title.
In a move uncharacteristic of CYO, St. Dominic's protested the game over not being able to use a bat the umpire removed from the game. The protest was denied, and the Curé of Ars Knights are the sixth- grade CYO Nassau County Champions.
The Knights are not only champions on the scorecard, but more important, in how they played the game. You will never see a more sportsmanlike team that plays with such class and determination. These boys were raised right by their parents, and they make every game a pleasure to watch. An error is only an opportunity to pick up a teammate. A bunt single is celebrated just as much as a crushing home run. I am truly proud of each and every one of them.
