Somers Falls 3-2 in Season Opener

On Monday April 1, Somers opened their baseball season versus Ardsley, and Coach JT Genovese wasn’t going to fool himself with his new roster. “We have a very young team, and we’re going to have to work through some bumps,” he said. A good first showing nonetheless, the Tuskers still came up a little short.

With a runner on third and the sun disappearing, Joe Dwyer went down looking, and the home team was forced to settle for a 3-2 loss.

The first pitch going to Andrew Kapica, Genovese felt pretty good about his number one. “Making that run when they went to the championship,” the coach said, “He’s our guy.”

A lead off walk to Ben Silverman was no bother either. Kapica got the ground ball to short, Jake Hopper started the 6-4-3 double play, and a grounder to Pat Bracelin ended the inning.

The second baseman was also the first to get the fans out of their seats. He hit the gap for a two out double, but Nick Conti could not get his teammate across.

So Ardsley answered in the second. Anthony Chenard led off with a walk, and after Kapica got Nate Caldara on strikes, Leo Blank lashed an RBI double. Kapica still struck out the side but Somers trailed 1-0.

Both teams went quietly in their next two half innings, and then Somers took their turn. John Barbagallo walked, and Eric Gersfeld’s double knocked him in to tie the score.

The top of the fourth and Kapica ran the table again. Striking out the side, he did so in order, and the bats looked like they would take the cue in the bottom.

Dwyer walked and Lorenzo D'Ambrosio and Tyler Venturini followed with singles. Bases loaded with no one out, the Tuskers did not come through. Hopper struck out, Trevor McDonnell popped to the pitcher, and Conti lined out to center.

No problem, Kapica took the power outage in stride. Eight in a row, he got Blank and Darius Sakelos on strikes, and an easy inning seemed ready to go in the books. Unfortunately, the Somers starter walked to the next two batters, and adding a wild pitch, Genovese admitted he was slow on the trigger. “I probably stretched him a little too far,” he said.

Still, a grounder to short looked like Somers would get out of the jam, but Hooper was not able to handle. Down one again, Somers positioned themselves with a two out rally. Not to be, D'Ambrosio grounded to second and the side retired, Ardsley answered.

Dillon Kuchinsky walked two batters and hit one to load the bases and a wild pitch brought the run in. So Somers followed a similar blueprint in the bottom of the sixth. Venturini walked, stole second and scored on a pair of wild pitches.

A 3-2 game, Ardsley loaded the bases on two walks and a two out single by Chenard. But Kuchinsky got a fly ball to center, and the one run game was preserved.

Not going quietly, Bracelin doubled to left center and stood 90 feet away on another wild pitch. Left to Dwyer with two outs, the controversy free game didn’t go out that way.

The Ardsley pitcher appeared to balk, and Bracelin walked home with the tie. Not so fast, the umpire signified that time was called, and Somers made their case.

Claiming the infraction took place before the timeout, Somers had to yield to the final say of the umpire. The decision didn’t have the coach fretting, though. “This game could have very easily gone the other way, but we’ll be fine,” he concluded.