By STEVE SINISKI
In the seventh victory, a 7-1 decision over Kennedy last Friday, junior starter Harris Danenza was backed by an offense led by senior third baseman Brandon Garland's two hits and two runs batted in. "The last game versus Bellmore [Kennedy] we had a season-high in hits," Jets coach Ken Sicoli said. "We've been fortunate enough to put together hits [in other games in the same inning to generate runs]."
Outstanding control from the three starting pitchers and consistent big plays in the field have keyed the Jets' strong start (7-1 overall, 4-1 in Conference AA-II), and provided a major confidence boost to the team as a whole. "We had no [starting] pitchers returning from last year that threw any innings," Sicoli said.
The top returnee, senior Adam Soltan, has made a seamless transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation, piling on three victories that include a no-hitter against Farmingdale on March 26, and a 3-0 decision over Baldwin on April 13. As with his mound mates, Soltan was the beneficiary of a sparkling defensive gem in the no-hitter. A two-hopper down the third-base line was snagged by Garland, and his throw was scooped out of the dirt by senior first baseman Ryan Dragoon. Soltan's development continued when he allowed just three hits in the win over the Bruins, striking out nine.
"We thought he'd be No. 1," Sicoli said. "He's doing a nice job throwing strikes and locating his pitches. He throws in the high 70s, and mixes up his pitches and throws a lot of strikes."
Junior Max Schonfeld and Danenza follow in the rotation, with the former throwing a complete-game shutout over Baldwin on April 15. He allowed just three hits and made a pair of first-inning runs stand up in a 2-0 triumph. Sophomore right fielder Rob Bocchetti made a diving catch of a liner and turned it into a double play, just another in the Jets' long line of sterling plays with the glove so far this season.
Sicoli credits the work of pitching coach John Marciante with the development of a staff that allowed one run or fewer in three of its previous four games after the win over Kennedy.
Senior second baseman Nick LaSala and junior shortstop Tyler Levine form a solid tandem up the middle, while senior center fielder Eddie Bergman and senior left fielder Matt Zerah complete a well-rounded outfield. Senior Brian Flynn has recently returned to action behind the plate after injury limited him to work as the designated hitter, though sophomore Anthony DiTomasso played well in the expanded role.
"The guys have to be happy with the way things are going and the way they've been playing," Sicoli said.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
