By ANDREW McCLURE
The Rams not only took the conference title last spring, they went undefeated. Five games into the 2009 campaign, they appear set to make another run at league supremacy.
With two-game sweeps of both Westbury and Great Neck North, and a victory over Sewanhaka, the Rams are 5-0 in Conference A-IV and tied for first with Jericho and Floral Park. In a 10-0 win over Westbury, Mike Sassman went 3-for-4 and knocked in three runs, and Jason Arasmo had two hits and two RBI to pace the offense.
Coach Mike Valentino is happy with the strong start, but knows the road to another conference title will be rough. "With all the rain we've had, we have to play five games in one week, all against tough competition," Valentino said. "It's going to be a very big test for us. We're pleased with where we are thus far, but there's a tough road ahead."
West Hempstead is winning the winning the old-fashioned way - with pitching, defense and timely run production. The Rams staff yielded just two runs over the first five league contests, and had three shutouts.
The ace of the staff, Matt Metz, is proving to be one of the more talented pitchers in the county. Metz has a 4-1 record, an earned run average of 1.29, and has struck out 52 batters over his first five starts. In the win over Sewanhaka, Metz, who is drawing interest from Molloy College and Briarcliffe, yielded just three hits and struck out 14 batters. A two-run homer by junior Roberto Reyes was the key offensive blow for the Rams.
Brian DiGiovanni has also been solid on the mound. In a 9-1 victory over Great Neck North, DiGiovanni scattered five hits and struck out eight. Reyes had five hits and knocked in six runs during the two-game sweep of the Rebels. Junior left fielder Anthony Misiano, who has been tremendous at setting the table from the leadoff slot, went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the series opener. Junior right hander C.J. Davis, the team's No. 3 starter, has been strong for the Rams as well.
With two games against both Jericho and Floral Park upcoming, the logjam at the top of the conference will likely be broken in less than a week's time. Valentino said he and the Rams are ready for the upcoming challenge. "It's going to be a very interesting stretch of games," he said. "As always, good pitching is the key. Our pitching will be tested. We've used a good amount of pitchers in games, so we should be ready to face some of the league's stronger teams."
The Rams host Roslyn on Monday at 4:30 p.m.
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