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Surprise, Surprise: Big doings on the P.V. Baseball Diamond
Tigers' 7th win ties school mark after only 9 games, Haldane still seaking first victory
by Ray Gallagher
Putnam Valley's Larry Cobb (pitching) and Pat Considine (swinging) are just two of several underclassmen who have provided the Tigers with a nucleus for success on the diamond this spring.
While Putnam Valley High continues its quest to find an Athletic Director capable of filling the shoes of soon-to-be-retired Peter Kuczma, the next A.D. will be happy to know that Coach Joe Natalie's baseball program is headed in the right direction after fivestraight dire seasons. While the district has been slow to introduce a replacement for Kuczma (perhaps the Drew Wendol rumor comes to light), Natalie's Tigers (7-2) are on the fast track toward the best season in school history. Already, the streaking Tigers (six wins in a row) have posted seven wins this season, tying a school record on the baseball diamond after the first nine games of a 20-game season. It's still a work in progress, but after a long run of bad baseball, it appears as though opportunity has knocked and the Tigers are opening the door.
Led by the bat of senior SS Josh Coppa (.515 BA) and the right arm of junior pitcher Pat Considine (3-0, 0.95 ERA), the Tigers are in the thick of the League III-A title chase at the halfway point of the season. Sophomore Walter Sherwood leads the club with 14 RBI and is just one of a slew of underclassmen making a name for themselves; this sophomore Matt Cordaro (.357 BA, 8 RBI) being one of them. Finally, the Tigers have a group of kids who are committed as seriously to baseball as their P.V. lacrosse brethren have been while making four consistent runs at the Section 1 Class C championship and one state semifinal appearance under Coach Brian Kuczma. I know that at 3-7, their record isn't exactly where they'd like it to be right now, but Kuzzy's clan will make another strong run in '07.
Natalie's Tigers picked up what might have been their second best win of the season Monday (Briarcliff being the first); taking out Walter Panas by a 2-1 count in a classic extra-inning pitcher's duel between Put Valley's Greg D'Annibale and Panas' Rob Parish. Between them, D'Annibale and Parish (10 K's) whiffed 19 batters and allowed just seven hits, but it was D'Anniable (9 K's) who outlasted Parish by firing seven frames of three-hit ball. Junior hurler Pat Considine fired a scoreless eighth inning to earn the save for the Tigers, fanning two Panthers and running the Tigers' League III-A record to 5-1, which is good for first place.
Coppa doubled twice and scored a run while Sherwood delivered a timely RBI. If the team can finally find a way to hit the ball more consistently, good things could be in the cards down the road.
Imagine if these guys went out and won the Tigers' first playoff game ever? You'd have two say at least two things: It's about dang time, and don't settle for anything less. For the first time in history, Putnam Valley, a town which is rich in individual baseball lore, is routinely winning baseball games and on the verge of some serious trailblazing. Former diamond studs like Anthony Eannacony (Lakeland), Tommy Gonzalez (Lakeland), Tom Cottrell (Panas), Bret Gabari (Panas), Billy Gallagher (Peekskill), Bob Shubert (Peekskill) and Brian Doherty (Kennedy), who all hail from Putnam Valley's fabulous freshman program back in the day, were amazing ball players who I know could have led Putnam Valley to statewide distinction if the quirky, tardy township had had its own high school prior to the turn of the century.
Know this: Each one of them would be proud to know they've turned the corner on the baseball diamond they once called home…
The Haldane Blue Devils (0-7) are still searching for their first victory of the season after suffering a 3-2 loss to a solid North Salem program Monday. The game went 11 innings before the Tigers manage to best a pair of Blue Devil hurlers who performed admirably in defeat. Nick Torchia suffered the loss in relief of Matt Calledrillo, who went seven strong with seven whiffs recorded. Mark Lemon had two hits and a run scored for the Blue Devils, who haven't hit a lick this season (a team BA of well under .200).
Haldane will look to get off the skids this week in a home-and-home set with the Keio Academy (4-1), which won't be easy. A pair with Pawling will follow. To bad they didn't scheduled Woodlands.
Has anyone see the numbers Section 1 baseball teams are putting up against winless Woodlands? 10, 41, 34, 30, 21, 21… hut-hut! Sounds more like a football cadence than a series of baseball scores. That tells me that there are at least nine kids in Section 1 who are learning some of the toughest lessons ever about putting your best foot forward and making the best of an utterly heinous situation. Yeah, Woodlands, at 0-9 and no relief in sight, is a sorry excuse for a baseball program right now, but if they make it through the season (after being outscored 192-21 so far); you have to tip your hat to them. I, for one, will root like heck for the Falcons to get off the proverbial schneid. Same goes for Haldane, too, on both the diamond and the lax green. Good times come in all forms: So make the best of the situation and keep your nose to grindstone. Better results are one the way: Just ask the P.V. baseball team. Good Luck!
To view pictures of the games, visit www.printroom.com/pro/yourdirectrays
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