Daily Sports Digest: Port Chester Baseball Preview

The Top Spot:

The Port Chester baseball team went 11-13 in 2011 but they got hot at the right time as they made it all the way to the section final before falling to Somers.

This season the Rams and Head Coach John Cafaldo are looking for a more consistent season throughout the year. Patch recently caught up with Coach Cafaldo to discuss this year’s team.

As far as age and, more importantly experience goes, what type of team
do you expect to have this season?
“We are going to have somewhat of a mix of ages for this season.  Our senior class last year was huge and we were depleted of 13 players.  We do have some returning seniors this year, but we will have a big mix of younger talent.  Experience wise on the varsity level we are going to be a bit inexperienced.  Only a handful of the returners saw playing time last season on this level.”

What were some of the weaknesses your team had last year that you hope
to improve upon this season?
“Last season we struck out way to many times and did not come up with the two out hits. We are aiming to put the ball in play much more and cut down on our strike outs.  We also have been focusing on our defense.  We allowed to many base runners to reach on balls that were hit to the infielders last year.  We want to eliminate that.”

Who are some of your returning players coming back who you see being
big contributors?
“DJ Sabato pitched in a few big games for us and should be a key player this year.  Justin Masi saw some time last year, Chris Mott had a few at bats, but other than that we are rather inexperienced at this level.”

Who are some of your new players you are expecting to thrust into a
larger role on the team?
“Mike Iantorno, Jason Ippolitto, Trevor Chambliss, Andrew Schmalling and Brian Levy are some of our juniors that we are looking to for some production.  We also have two younger players who are possible candidates for playing on the varsity level.”

How has the team been preparing in the off-season?
“Several players have participated in off-season workouts at Pro Swing in Port Chester.”

What are your goals for the season as a team?
“Our goal is to try and get into the sectional tournament.  After seeing what could happen in the post season last year, we are aiming to qualify for the tournament and attempt a similar run this year.”

Are there one or two games circled on the schedule this season?

“We are in a tough league and have several big games with neighboring school districts.  Harrison, Rye, Greeley and Fox Lane are all big games.  We also host our own small tournament that we always try to perform our best at.”

What are you personally looking forward to this season?

“I am looking forward to continuing with the growth of our program and continuing to grow as a baseball coach.”

College Sports Notebook:

Local Rivals to Face Off in Double Header

The St. Thomas Aquinas women’s softball team, coming off twin losses to St. Anselm College of Manchester, NH, look to bounce back on Thursday when the Lady Spartans entertain local rival Nyack College for a twin-bill starting at 3 p.m.

The Lady Spartans could not hold off the visiting Hawks (6-10) in the first game falling 5-3, and then lost 11-2, in five innings in Game 2.

Sophomore Katie Meyers of Pearl River went 4-for-5 on the day, including a three-run homer in the opener.

Meyers’ blast opened a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the Hawks chipped away, took the lead with a run in the fifth, and tagged junior Maura Power of Pearl River with the loss.

The Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the second game, but STAC responded in the second inning, with Heather Clausen of Verplanck leading off with a single, followed by a double from Meyers, and both scored as Megan Sweezy of East Islip singled.

St. Anselm added a run in the third, and pulled away with a six-run fourth inning, handing Sweezy the loss.

Other members of the STAC team include Colleen Pagnani of Blauvelt, Melissa Place of Garnerville, Lauren Navarro of New City, and Samantha Wangenstein of Pearl River.

Meanwhile in Orangetown, Nyack lost a pair of 1-0 heartbreakers to Holy Family at the Little League complex.

Sophomore Kia Jelly of Deerfield, MA, took the loss in the opener, allowing only five hits and striking out five.

In the second game, Nyack got another brilliant pitching performance from freshman Chelsea Macaluso of Charlotte, NC. Macaluso scattered five hits, and struck out five.

Sophomore Bethany Reed of Tiverton, RI, went 2 for 2 in the second game.

Mortarboard Musings

• Junior infielder Amanda Babcock of Haverstraw went 0 for 1, but worked out three walks as the Manhattan College softball team bowed to Monmouth, 7-6, in the consolation game of the Seton Hall Strike Out Cancer Tournament at Ivy Hill Park in South Orange, NJ. The Hawks (7-6) won with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Jaspers (1-14) visit St. John’s (7-15) for a non-conference doubleheader today at 2:30 p.m.
• The Manhattan College men’s basketball team had its landmark season come to a close in a 69-57 loss at Fairfield in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Junior guard George Beamon of Roslyn led Manhattan (21-13) in scoring for the 26th time this season with 16 points. The Jaspers, behind the leadership of first-year head coach Steve Masiello of White Plains, exceeded all expectations with the program enjoying the biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I with a 15-win improvement from last season. Senior guard Liam McCabe-Moran of New Rochelle played in 34 games. The Rye High graduate averaged five points and two rebounds per game, and also had 22 steals in his final season.
• Senior Pat Kivlehan of West Nyack, bouncing back from a flu-ridden slow start, has lifted his average to a second-best .341 for the Rutgers University (8-9) baseball team, which host Riders today at 3 p.m. in its home opener at Bainton Field in Piscataway, NJ. Kivlehan, who had a big role on the Scarlet Knights football team on special-teams and as a linebacker, has taken his speed and quickness to the diamond, with six stolen bases in as many attempts.
• The Monroe College men’s basketball team survived a ferocious 40-minute full-court press to defeat Indian Hills (IA) 81-69 in the first-round of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS. Monroe sophomore guard Davon Marshall of Niagara Falls netted 34 points, more than any other Mustang has scored this season in a game. The third-ranked Mustangs face top-ranked South Plains (TX) in the second round tonight at 7 p.m. EDT.

Weekly Sports Poll:

This week, the Daily Sports Digest Weekly Poll looks at the New York Knicks and the . Tell us if you would like to see John Calipari, Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Mike Woodson or someone else on the bench next year and feel free to add your comments to an already lively debate.

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