WEST LAWN, Pa. – Senior
John Delahanty (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) went 3-for-3 at the plate, but the Valiants could not keep pace with the Bulldogs of DeSales University as the Valiants fell to the Bulldogs 8-4 in the opening game of the MAC Freedom postseason tournament Friday evening at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park.
Senior Delahanty went perfect at the plate, adding a sacrifice fly in his final at bat. Junior
Danny Gallagher (Nanuet, N.Y./Paramus Catholic) also had a srong offensive day, finishing 2-for-4 at the dish with a run scored. On the mound junior
Anthony LoFaro (Haworth, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest) tossed 3.2 innings, getting charged for two runs while striking out four. Freshman
Jarret Oehler (Bronx, N.Y./Salesian) was effective in relief, recording four outs while allowing just one base runner and fanning one Bulldog.
LoFaro did an excellent job of shutting down the Bulldogs in the early goings Friday, stranding five runners on base in the first three innings. LoFaro struck out Mike Kacergis after an 11-pitch at bat to strand a runner on third in the first inning and worked out of a jam in the second and third innings to keep DeSales off the scoreboard.
Manhattanville took advantage of a one-out walk to junior
Nick Campana (Yonkers, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Elementary) in the third inning, executing a perfect hit-and-run with Gallagher to put runners on the corners. Sophomore Luke Scoggins delivered a hot shot through the middle to put the Valiants on the board with the game's first run and Manhattanville took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning.
The Bulldogs threatening offense finally broke through in the fourth inning, as DeSales struck for three runs behind a two-out triple and a double steal to take a 3-1 lead into the fifth inning. After the Valiants went down in order in the top of the frame, the Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs but junior
Pat Badia (Somers, N.Y./Somers) worked out of a bases loaded jam to keep it a two-run game just past the midway point of the contest.
After a strikeout to lead off the sixth, Delahanty recorded his third hit of the day and the Valiants again put runners on the corners with one out on a hit-and-run single by pinch-hitter
Joe Booker (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Port Jefferson), forcing the Bulldogs to go to the bullpen for the second time in the contest. After another strikeout, the Valiants got a run back on a double steal to cut the deficit in half, but the Bulldogs ended the threat with a caught stealing to keep it 3-2 midway through the sixth.
DeSales added to their lead once again in the bottom half of the frame with clutch two-out hitting by Kacergis and Pat Rhoads to make it 5-2 through six innings but the Valiants would come alive in the seventh to keep it close. A lead-off single by Gallagher and a walk by Scoggins put two runners on base with senior
Robbie Lynch (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) coming to the plate. The Bulldogs again went to the bullpen but Lynch greeted Tyler Cooperman with a laser to left field on the first pitch he saw to drive in a run and make it 5-3. Three batters later, Delahanty hit a deep fly ball to left field to bring home Scoggins to make it a one-run game at the seventh-inning stretch.
The Bulldogs had the answer for the Valiants however in the bottom of the frame one more time, putting three runs across in the bottom of the seventh to increase the lead back to four runs.
The Valiants will now await a league conference call tomorrow morning to determine the next round of the postseason tournament with severe inclement weather forecasted for West Lawn tomorrow. The Valiants will face the loser of King's College and Misericordia University at 11:00 am if the format remains as scheduled.
