MHS Baseball Wins Region, Goes to State Final-4

Update June 14: MHS Tigers Are State AA Champs!

by Jeffrey Eisenband; photos by Fred Levine

The Tigers celebrate their 12-1 win over Suffern on June 5 to clinch the sectional title.

(June 12, 2008) The Mamaroneck High School varsity baseball team may be on the brink of winning the state championship. We'll know by Saturday night. (They won!)

After a disappointing first-round loss to Carmel in last year’s sectional playoffs, the team has come back to win both the 2008 sectional and regional championships.

This season’s success did not come without a price. Players first began training in the Post Gym on winter nights. In February, the players’ determination was tested as they ran around the school and up and down the stairs to prepare for the season.

When the games began in March, the team appeared more energized than ever. Nationally ranked, as high as 17th in the nation in some polls, the Tigers opened the season with 14 wins, including a victory in the Tanney Tournament. Looking unstoppable, they traveled to Ramsey, New Jersey on May 2 to take on baseball powerhouse Don Bosco Prep. There, however, the Tigers were embarrassed, losing
7-0 in a game that was never close.

The team bounced back from the loss to take the next ten games with ease. Then in the last game of the regular season, having already clinched first place in the section, the Tigers lost to John Jay East Fishkill on May 25th by a score of 8-2. Following the loss, the Tigers had five days to prepare for the playoffs and their rematch with Carmel, a team they had not played since last season’s upset.

Re-Match With Carmel

During that game, the Tigers got ahead by putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. The team never looked back after the first inning, scoring three more runs to win 5-3. Two days later, on June 2, Arlington arrived at MHS to battle the Tigers. Mamaroneck once again struck early, scoring a run in the bottom of the first. After giving up a run in the top of the second, the Tigers exploded with five more runs in the bottom of the second, thanks in part to two costly Arlington errors. The team then held off multiple Arlington rallies to win the game 8-6. Andrew Benkwitt received the win, Greg Ackley the loss, and Tiger Chris Dearwester 15 stitches after he got hit in the face with a ball. Sophomore Michael Rosenfeld also lit up the field with a home run that landed on top of the Post Road gym.

Sections Begin Against Ketchum

The next day, on June 3, R.C.Ketchum’s bus rolled into the Post Road parking to take on the Tigers. They became the first team to score against Mamaroneck in the first inning, scoring one run off of star pitcher Matt McGovern. The resilient Tigers bounced back and bagged four runs in the bottom of the first inning to go up 4-1. Then, in the bottom of the second, the Tigers scored 10 runs in a rally capped with a homerun by the hardcore Dearwester. Showing no mercy, the Tigers continued to dominate by scoring another ten runs in the third inning. In what originally looked like a blowout, the Tigers were actually forced to hold off a late charge by R.C.Ketchum. However, the Tigers prevailed, winning 24-18. Junior Eric Windsor took the win, and Michael Rosenfeld hit another long home run.

On to the Sectional Finals

The halls of Mamaroneck High School were full of baseball talk the next day. Everybody was excited about the Sectional Final on June 4 against Suffern that would take place at the Tigers’ home field. It seemed like the largest audience in Mamaroneck baseball history was about to witness the school’s third sectional championship, the first since 2003.

Sean Hagan’s first pitch against the Suffern Mounties was in front of a crowd that surrounded the entire field. Gabe Klein energized the already exhilarated fans, beginning the game with a sliding catch in the outfield. Suffern silenced the crowd, however, by scoring a run off Hagan in the top of the first. But the Tigers did not lose heart. They went on a scoring streak, putting up nine runs in the first three innings. Hagan shut down the Suffern, and the Tigers scored three more runs in the third, securing a 12-1 win and the section title. Hagan was also named MVP of the section final game.

With the sectional playoffs over, the Tigers began the regional run at the state title. The Tigers opened the semi-final in Binghamton on Monday, June 9 against Vestal High School, the section 4 champions, and won 6-0 to gain themselves a berth in the regional finals. Tuesday they faced off against Minisink Valley, and won 13-3 behind the starting pitching of Andrew Benkwitt and relief pitching of Michael Regan.

Saturday at State

Now, with the regional championship in hand, the Tigers have two further obstacles to overcome. On Saturday morning, June 14, they will go up against LaSalle High School, from Albany, which is currently the top ranked team in New York. If they win that, they will advance to the finals at 4 pm.

Check back Saturday to see if the Tigers make it to the top.....

Jeffrey Eisenband, a freshman, writes for the Mamaroneck High School newspaper, The Globe.

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