John Jay Evens Record with 13-6 Victory over Ardsley

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On Tuesday April 16, a windy chill didn’t keep the Wolves’s bats from heating up to a 12-0 fifth inning lead. Not so fast, a few walks and a series of Ardsley singles, it was suddenly a 12-6 game. And a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth looked like the whirlwind was going to continue, but catcher Steve Carozo saw the way out.

“The kid had a huge lead. I knew he was going to go,” said the senior, and getting the runner by a mile allowed the Wolves to settle down for a 13-6 win.

Of course, the Wolves were anything but from the outset. Jacob Storch went deep center for a leadoff double, and after the swirling winds gave Will Civetta a bloop double behind third, Matt Denker got into his easy chair. “The fastball was pretty flat. So I just wanted to sit back on one,” said the left fielder.

He took it opposite for a sacrifice fly, and a 2-0 lead was soon three. A walk to Elliot Arbogast and Henrik Zhai hit by the pitch was piled on by more wind and serendipitous placement. Still, Ryan Valdes wasn’t apologizing after his little bloop dropped behind second.

Second and third with two outs, Carozo hit the clutch. “Two strikes, I wanted to put the ball in play. So I saw fastball, hit to left and two more runs were in,” said the catcher.

Five in total, Jackson Moreo welcomed the cushion for what would be his first varsity win. “There guys are grinders and to be able to pitch with a lead is a lot easier,” said the junior.

He backed up the words by getting the first batter on strikes, But he had some help from Ryan Valdes, who actually took advantage of the wind. “Watching from the plate, it was over the trees, it was out, and it just came back,” said Carozo.

Not the only one watching, the John Jay second baseman did more than play spectator. “I think that was the best catch I’ve ever seen,” said Carozo.

Diving behind first for the play, Nolan Rhodes gobbled up the third out at short and traded his glove for the bat to leadoff the second. Not so much, the senior drew a walk and then put his wheels on. Rhodes stole second and scored on a Denker single.

Up six, Moreo kept it that way despite a leadoff walk and what appeared to be a single to center. Instead, Arbogast bluffed the runner at first on the low liner, and the delay was just enough to get a force at second. A walk later, Moreo got a strikeout and a groundout to move the game to the third.

The home team also continued to be kind in the field. Zhai reached on an error at second, and Valdes accepted a free pass to put runners on first and second. No one out, Carozo singled to load the bases, and Will Rickel’s grounder to short made it 7-0.

There wasn’t any respite at the plate either for Ardsley. Moreo induced a ground ball to first and did it himself with a pair of strikeouts to end the third.

No time to cool off, the John Jay bats resumed. Rhodes walked, Arbogast singled, and after a wild pitch and a Valdes walk, Carozo doubled home two more for a 10-0 lead. Not done, Will Rickel walked, and Storch singled in the fourth run of the inning.

11-0, Moreo definitely didn’t let a lead off walk break him. Ground balls to second and short resulted in a force and double play and put mercy on the minds of the Wolves. More so when Rhodes swapped patience for locking in. “Nolan hit an absolute shot,” said Denker of his shortstop's blast over the center field fence.

Three outs to go, Moreo opened the bottom of the fifth with a strike but then issued three straight walks and a single.

Removed, Carozo still had his starter’s back. “He pitched great. He hit his spots and was very confident for his first varsity start,” said the catcher. “I’m very impressed.

In came Jack Garneau and despite two consecutive run scoring singles, the Wolves were a long way from panic. The Wolf got a groundout to short but then yielded three more singles. A little tenuous, the reliever stuck to the program. “You just got to trust your stuff," he said, and two straight strikeouts made good.

No more insurance for the Wolves in the sixth, the caught stealing largely slammed the door. Garneau finished off the inning with a strikeout and a grounder to short.

The seventh was even easier. Three up, three down and the win completely negated the team’s 0-4 start. Now 4-4, concluded Denker, “Everyone in the lineup is really clicking.”