Steve Mandl leaned up against his car as his players departed and tried to explain what went wrong. Before he could try, the longtime George Washington coach was interrupted by an elderly woman wanting to know the winner.
“Tottenville,” he said, in an uncomfortable manner.
“Oh, great, congratulations,” she told him.
With a pained look, he took a deep breath, and forced a smile.
“No, we’re George Washington,” he replied.
It was the only moment of brevity in a frustrating 24 hours for Mandl and his players.
His second-seeded Trojans were swept out of the PSAL Class A baseball semifinals by No. 3 Tottenville, pounded 17-5 at the College of Staten Island Saturday afternoon. Friday, their ace, Nestor Bautista, was beaten, 6-2, by Pirates left-hander Zach Granite, who was making just his second start of the season.
Four George Washington pitchers walked 11 Pirates and forced in three runs with free passes. They allowed 14 hits, four for extra bases, and kept Tottenville off the scoreboard in just two innings. The top two hitters in the Pirates’ lineup, Brendan Farr and Granite, reached base in all 10 plate appearances, with Farr going 5-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Every starter had at least one hit except for left fielder Joe Sessa and third baseman Gil Mendoza.
Sophomore Kevin Torres, who had pitched so well this year, going 7-0 against PSAL competition, didn’t record an out in a nightmarish second inning. He walked in two runs and started the Pirates nine-run frame by throwing away a comebacker.
“I don’t think he was nervous, he just didn’t have it,” Mandl said.
The Trojans’ defense didn’t help. They committed six errors altogether, five in that dreadful second inning. Left fielder Fernelys Sanchez dropped a fly ball in left. Catcher Nelson Rodriguez overthrew third baseman Jessue Alvarado on a rundown, allowing two runs to score. Even the sure-handed shortstop, Mike Antonio, considered one of the top prospects in the northeast had a throwing error.
“At one point, they had nine runs on three hits,” Mandl said. “You can’t win games like that.”
Torres’ replacement, Jariel Cedeno, didn’t fare much better, tagged for six runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning.
GW (19-2) did scratch out four runs against Tottenville (22-1) ace John Silva, who was pitching on three days’ rest, getting to within 12-4 after three innings. But relievers Stephen Mattina and Michael Gillen allowed just a single run over the final four innings.
George Washington began the year as the chic pick to win its third city championship. The Trojans had it all: a pro prospect in Antonio, senior leadership with second baseman Xyruse Martinez, and a pair of aces in Bautista and Yael Regalado. They spent much of the year in national rankings and went undefeated in Manhattan A East, twice defeating defending city champion Norman Thomas.
Mandl, in fact, considered this one of his best teams because of the pitching depth, although he felt the team was too laid back. That, of course took a hit with Regalado, the talented junior, missing much of the year with elbow problems.
“That kid is lights out,” said Mandl, imaging the possibilities. “He will be one of the best pitchers to ever come out of New York City. If we had him, he shuts them down Friday night and we have Nestor today.”
“But that’s part of the game,” he quickly added. “When you have a championship caliber team and you don’t win a championship, it’s very disappointing.”
