John Jay Falls 7-0 in Section One Final

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Nonetheless, John Jay came off the victory over Fox Lane on Wednesday May 24 and loudly welcomed the ballpark to the game on Friday Night. The chatter going strong as they awaited the first pitch, the bench erupted on Nick Fassert’s bloop single to center and went fever pitch when Jackson DiLorenzo hit Scott Esposito. Unfortunately, Andrew Lombardi and Nick Russo struck out to end the threat and Mitch Hammer entered with some unfinished business.

Not only were no ill effects apparent after the crushing semifinal loss, he looked even more resolute than usual and was quick to say so. “I was very confident,” he assured.

Sam Stafura wasn’t buying, though. He followed his game winning home run last week by putting Mike Aiello eyes high to the sky and in search of the wall. Only good enough for the warning track, the right fielder pulled it in, and Hammer got DiLorenzo on a grounder to short and Danny Witters on a fly out.

DiLorenzo matched Hammer in the second by retiring the side in order, but a sharply hit ball to the right side by Mike Scozzafava looked like Panas would at least put up a baserunner. Instead, Brendan Willingham ranged into the outfield, and always ready to pop and bounce with the ball, he high stepped the grab and two stepped the throw.

,A familiar site for Jay, Hammer reveled in the kinetics of the senior captain. “He brings everyone up,” said the starter. “His energy on the field is outstanding.”

Even so, DiLorenzo held the upper hand again in the third, and John Jay went down in order. A pitching duel in full swing, Panas wasn’t quite so obliging in the bottom half. After Austin Pagliettini reached on an infield hit and Cameron Hawley walked, Stafura's hulking frame stepped up, and the moment got passed no one.

Maybe except Hammer, the sophomore didn’t discriminate. “You can’t be afraid of anyone,” he clarified.

Just attack, he threw strikes, and the shortstop flew to center. One more out to go, DiLorenzo failed to help himself when Lombardi made a sliding catch on a soft liner to center.

The standoff continued on both sides of the mound over the next three frames, but Hammer really showed his mettle in the bottom of the fifth. Hawley hit Hammer on a hot shot back to the mound, and while the pitcher momentarily recovered, his throw was high to first. Still, Hammer stayed in the game and DiLorenzo went down on a bouncer to short.

Now, it was time for payback. Nick Fassert walked, went to second on Marco Maiuolo’s grounder to short and scored when Stafura threw wide on Esposito’s grounder.

On the board, the uproar on the bench was about to reach a critical mass. Nick Russo walked, and with runners on first and second, Jacob Storch had the fundamentals on his mind. Go opposite and get in another run, and in working a 3-2 count, that’s all DiLorenzo thought he had to worry about.

Playing in, the same went for the leftfielder. Bad news, Storch had the book on DiLorenzo. “I know on two strikes he likes to throw it by you, and I wasn’t going to let that happen,” said the freshman.

The DH turned on the ball and his double gave John Jay a 3-0 lead. Mike Aiello followed with a run scoring single, and with Hammer on the mound, the lead was as commanding as it looked.

Six batters and six outs, the winning pitcher went airborne and hugged his catcher. Still, in the event of a victory Coach Ted Lawrence made sure that the boys knew the score. “We haven’t won anything yet,” he told them, and the brief outburst was commensurate with the manager’s main message.

“We’re not celebrating anything until it’s final,” he implored.

And Nick Fassert came out all business on Sunday. He struck out Stafura on four pitches and needed only three more pitches to retire the side.

In the bottom, Civetta smacked a one out single to right, and Lombardi was hit, but Nick DiMaso got Nick Russo on strikes.

No problem, Fassert struck out the side in the second, and another pitcher’s duel was on. DiMaso retired John Jay in order in the bottom of the second, and Fassert returned the favor in the top.

A diving stop by Derek Hawley on Civetta’s sharp grounder then made it seven in a row for the Panas starter. But Fassert had a rougher go in the fourth.

DiLorenzo led off with a single, and Witters followed with a bunt base hit. Nobody out, Fassert needed two, so Randy Wiesner obliged. Civetta gloved the slap down third, stepped on the bag and threw onto first for the double play.

Humphrey struck out, and the Wolves were feeling it. DiMaso missed the memo, though, and got the side in order again.

Three innings to go, Scozzafava’s lead off single didn’t seem cause for unconcern and a sacrifice bunt attempt by Hawley was just baseball 101. Staying on script, Fassert fielded the up first. But the junior fumbled the ball and both runners were safe.

Working once, Panas went back to the bunt, and it looked like a backfire. Pagliettini missed the attempt, and Scozzafava was caught off second. Esposito waited, threw down to second, but Willingham’s throw to third was late.

Back in the box, Pagliettini singled to right, and Panas led 2-0. Deja Vu, Fassert hit the next batter and in stepped Stafura. A 3-1 count this time, the leadoff hitter doubled to left, and the Wolves were chasing three.

DiLorenzo drove in the fourth run on a sacrifice fly, and the fifth run came in when John Jay failed in the rundown again. A wild pitch made it a six run game, and the hole was too deep.

Even so, Willingham called his teammates over before the bottom of the seventh and implored the status quo. “We’re not going down without a fight,” he told his teammates, “That just the type of team we are.”

A couple of runners fulfilled the mission statement but did not change the outcome. Of course Lawrence was on the same page, while offering a nuance his team obviously picked up.

Forget the hype, forget who’s on the mound or at the plate, he instructed, “You play your game, you compete in your at bats, you compete as a pitcher, you make your plays in the field and you’ll be in every game.”

He also praised the kids who stay in the game even when they aren’t actually between the lines. “The bench means everything. They are as important to this group as all the starters,” Lawrence beamed. “Their support and energy, they are a huge part. That’s the definition of team. That you want more for others than you do for yourself.”

All lined up and seeing the trophy raised, Lawrence knows the image will have an impact on the returners. “They actually have a visual of what it looks like,” he assured. “That’s going to go a long way.”

No pause in Storch, he was already thinking about going the distance and with a pit in his stomach. “We’re going to come back extra hungry,” he said, and in conclusion, the rookie sees the Wolves at the podium very soon.