John Jay Loses Pitchers Dual in Semifinal Round

Please see tip, pledge and subscribe buttons below or send tip via venmo at @Rich-Monetti

Nanuet Slideshow

On Wednesday May 22, Jacob Storch took the ball in the semifinals of the sectionals at second seeded Nanuet, and Coach Ted Lawrence didn’t need a lot of prose to praise his starter. “Outstanding effort,” he said. But the sophomore’s counterpart was almost beyond words.

“We ran into a kid who was on. Everything was in the strike zone, and he was dominant with all his pitches,” said Lawrence of Aidan Kempf and his 2-0 two hitter.

Kempf also got the two biggest hits of the day, and scored both runs. “The kid did it all,” said Lawrence.

A day that began against Storch and a ground out to short was almost a victory for the John Jay bats. Two strikeouts ended the inning, and Storch climbed the mound.

The fastball not thudding as loud in the mitt, the bend on his curve was just as nice. Aside from a hit by Kempf, all three Knights went down looking, which had Storch give away his trade secret. “My curve comes out of the same spot as my fastball,” he revealed. “That makes it harder to pick up.”

Kempf’s turn, he took it. Aside from an infield hit by Will Civetta, the determined hurler also struck out the side.

Storch was undeterred - even when Nick Fassert bobbled Michael Cesario’s grounder to short. A line out to third had the runner way off for the double play, and another strikeout had the Wolves howling.

Unfortunately, Kempf was tone deaf. Troy Wood and Storch struck out, and Nick Benson flew to center.

Of course, Storch continued showing that he could play that game too. Two strikeouts and a groundout had the game humming into the top of the fourth.

So Nolan Rhodes accepted the cue and took flight. He crushed one deep to right and didn’t stop running until reaching third. One out with Nick Russo at the plate, and the Wolves had the chance to break through.

Kempf missed the memo, though. He overpowered the John Jay cleanup hitter on strikes, and Eliot Arbogast got no quarter either. “I saw Eliot take two strikes, and they blew right by,” said Lawrence.

So the coach tried to tilt the odds by sending Nolan on the pitch “Not too many pitchers go into the windup with their back to the runner,” he said. “We tried to catch a run there.”

Instead, the ball was fielded cleanly by the catcher, and Nolan was out. A near miss, Kempf responded by taking matters into his own hands. The pitcher led off with a double, and Charlie Moustakakis singled him home.

Still, Storch didn’t shrink. Two more strikeouts and a ground out kept the game contained.

But with Kempf, a comeback was really miles away. He struck out the side, and all the bailing out by John Jay batters had Lawrence clarifying. “He had this natural lefty tail. So he would start at a right handed batter’s hip and would just run on the inside,” said Lawrence. “Guys were giving up on the pitch early.”

Nonetheless, Storch matched in the bottom of the fifth. Two ground outs and another strike out had Lawrence forgetting the score in favor of his pitcher. “He’s grown up right in front of us,” said the coach. “He’s matured and really come on when we needed him most.”

Unfortunately, Kempf was on a whole other trajectory. Three more strikeouts, and the inning turning over, the pitcher continued to make a case against the designated hitter. A one out triple had him scoring on another Moustakakis single, and John Jay had only three outs remaining.

No surprise, the Knight struck out the side for a total of 18, and summations were all that were left. “It’s just a great group of guys. I love all of them and I’m so proud of them for this entire season,” said Fassert, who will be pitching for Amherst College next year.

Troy Wood was beaming with pride too. Not a starter at the beginning of the year, the senior counts himself lucky that he got the opportunity. “I love this group of guys, so to get the chance to play beside them means a lot,” said the senior.

The future Wake Forest student also brought a perspective that aligns appropriately with his upcoming studies. “Appreciate the little things," said the history major. “Every moment with your guys matters, because they are not always going to be there.”

The seniors moving on come to mind, but Lawrence knows what he had and what their leadership has left behind. “Any of the things I asked the seniors to do - whether baseball related or not - they did. A great group of young men, and a great example for the younger kids,” said the coach.

The baton passed, Storch stayed on point. “Next year, we want to win the sections and go to the states,” he concluded.