The Throgs Neck Thunder continued their spring season in the Westchester Baseball Association (WBA) with a split of a doubleheader against Ardsley on Saturday, May 2. TNT’s record now stands at 3-1.
The first game at Ardsley High School was filled with errors and wasted opportunities for the 12 & under TNT team as they lost the game 11 to 7. TNT’s bats were alive in this game, but it was not enough to overcome the errors and base running mistakes that led to their defeat. Batting highlights included Brian O’Rourke (2-2, BB, 2R), Justin DelVecchio (3-3, 2R) and Michael Morrone (2-3, 3B, RBI).
In game two, both teams played more to their true form. Pitching and defense dominated as TNT and Ardsley needed extra innings to decide the affair. The game was 3-3 going into the bottom of the 7th inning, when TNT pulled off another walk-off victory for the 2nd week in a row. In that inning, Joe Signore started the rally by taking one for the team when he was hit by the pitch. Then, Joe Menna hit a ground ball that Ardsley misplayed and led to runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out. Michael Wickes was then asked to sacrifice the runners over and put down a beautiful bunt that he beat out to load the bases for TNT. Nick Genarelli then became the day’s hero by sending everyone home with a game winning single up the middle. Notable contributions included Kevin Anderson (2-2, 2B, RBI) and the pitching efforts of Justin DelVecchio and Brian O’Rourke.
Manager Luigi D’Ancona said, “We have a lot of talented players on our team, but we are also playing against some good teams, so we have to put in our best effort at all times. We made a few mental mistakes in the first game and the other team took advantage of them. However, losing that first game was a good lesson for our players as they played more inspired baseball in the second game. What I try to teach my players is that mistakes are to be viewed as opportunities to learn and get better. Therefore, doing one’s best is more important than anything else.”
