John Jay Holds On for First Round Win Over Greeley

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On Monday May 19, John Jay was cruising along with a 7-0 lead after four. But a bloop RBI single in the fifth, a home in the sixth and four straight hits in the sixth suddenly had the game feeling way too close for comfort. Out went Mitch Hammer, Jack Garneau entered with one thing on his mind. “I wasn’t going to let the seniors go out like that,” said the reliever, and backing up the boast started with a slow bouncer to short.

Jacob Storch charged, threw to first, and Will Rickel couldn't believe the runner only broke off third when the ball was halfway to him. “This isn’t real,” he relayed the gift, and the out easily made at home had the rest of the Quakers following suit.

The game began with a much different Hammer, though. All fired up, he struck out the side, and the bats took their turn for the first time.

Storch walked, stole second and landed on third with Nolan Rhodes’ sacrifice fly. Unfortunately, the lead off batter was stranded after Will Civetta struck out looking, and Elliot Arbogast flied to right.

Onto the second, Hammer let Greeley actually get the bat on the ball. The senior got Spencer Walden to pop to second, and after Ben Lederman’s bouncer ate up Civetta at third, Hammer cleared the table.

A strike out and a groundout, John Jay was set to get on the board. Jackson Moreo singled to center with one out, and two wild pitches later he was on third.

Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm. When the ball got away, Moreo seemed to win the race to home plate, but the ump gave the photo finish to the Greeley catcher

Two out and no one on, Steve Carozo endeavored to make it hurt anyway. “I got it to a 2-2 count, he threw a ball, got to a 3-2 count and saw one low,” said the catcher.

He stole second, and Ryan Valdes kept it simple too. The DH put the bat on the ball, and the Quaker shortstop wasn’t as fortunate with his glove. Underneath, Valdes reached on the error and Carozo came home.

1-0, Hammer worked through trouble again in the top of the third. A bad hop single by Rhys Herrell and the pitcher’s throwing error on Lucas Polizzi’s bunt put runners on first and second. None out, Greeley went back to the bunt, and the successful sacrifice moved the runners up.

But a fly ball turned into a two for one. Sam Rickel made the catch in center, threw Herrell out at the plate, and the Wolves rode the momentum into the bottom.

Storch walked again, stole second, and Rhodes singled to left. A wild pitch brought in the second run, and next, Arbogast really showed how to drop a bunt. Down third, he beat it out for a single and then stole second.

Jackson Moreo filled the empty base with a walk, and another run on the pond, Carozo stepped up to the plate with the game plan on his mind. “Coach said we’re not swinging at the first pitch,” he conveyed the directive, “we want to run up the pitch count.”

But circumstance implored that the math be ignored. “He threw a middle, middle fastball, I had to jump on it,” said the senior.

Nonetheless, a two run single to center still had Coach Ted Lawrence having his say. “He walked over, and the first thing he said was, ‘what happened to take the first pitch,’” Carozo relayed the humor.

Even better, the laughs continued with Valdes. This time a clean double to right brought in run number five, and the Wolves were howling.

Hammer included, he again quieted a Greeley threat. Around a walk and a single, the pitcher struck out the side and more runs were on the way.

An untouched pop to first by Storch felt like a gift, but Rhodes’ line up the middle made up for the mistake when Ben Schulman snared the scorcher. Even up it wasn’t, Civetta doubled home Storch, and Arbogast singled to make it a 7-0 game.

Greeley finally answered, though. Cole Stein went deep to left with a two out double, scored on Landon Hoffner’s bloop single, and in the sixth the lead was cut to five on Spencer Walden’s homer to left center.

Too little too late, the top of the seventh said otherwise. Three doubles and a single closed to a 7-5 game, and sending Hammer to the dugout, didn’t have Lawrence sugarcoating Garneau’s predicament. “It was a tough spot,” admitted the coach.

Despite losing Walden to a walk on 3-2, the reliever didn’t shrink. “That’s the best I’ve seen him come in and compete,” assured Lawrence.

The deciding moment to Storch, muscle memory took over. “When I get a slow roller like that, everything goes out the window,” said the shortstop. “I just run at it.”

Out number two at home, Garneau got a fly out to right for the game and summed up his performance. “I knew it was go time,” he said, and with the save, John Jay remains on the move.