A young James Madison team has already exceeded expectations this season, but proved it still has some growing up to do in a loss to league power Tottenville.
Knights coach Vincent Caiazza sensed quickly that his team’s mindset wasn’t right in an eventual 6–0 loss to the host Pirates in a Public School Athletic League baseball crossover game on May 6.
Five of the Knights’ first six batters struck out against Tottenville starter John Donohue, and Madison pitcher Anthony Caroleo walked four of the nine batters he faced. Four Knights pitchers combined for 11 walks.
“They walked in here intimidated,” Caiazza said. “They were up at the plate and on the mound and they were intimidated. They can tell me ‘no,’ but I can see it.”
After the loss, Caiazza told his club, which only has two seniors, that it shouldn’t be that way if they play Tottenville in the post season. The game was scoreless through four innings despite the uncharacteristic play, and Madison used four different pitchers to preserve its top starters for divisional play.
“It should motivate us to progress and move on from this, because we will be seeing them down the round in the playoffs,” said Madison catcher Richard Devita.
Caroleo and Luis Romero combined to strand six Tottenville runners over the first four innings. Madison (9–2) had a chance to get on the board in the top of the fourth. Christopher Scolavino reached on an error and Robert Howe delivered a one-out single to put runners on first and second.
Scolavino tagged up from second on a fly out to left by Devita. Howe was late breaking for second and was thrown out to end the inning with No. 5 hitter Christopher Karnbach up next. Madison never seriously threatened again.
“You can’t do that,” Caiazza said.
Devita, who threw out two runners on the base paths wants to see his club be more aggressive with the bats. Donohue allowed just two hits and struck out seven.
“We have to take more cuts at the plate,” he said. “We were watching a lot of first-pitch fastballs go by.”
Tottenville (12–0) finally broke through with four runs in the fifth on four hits. James Wise drove in a run with a two-out single. An error on the relay throw moved runners to second and third and Everett Rodriguez brought both home with a single as part of a four-RBI day.
Madison remains in first place in the AAA Southeastern division because it beat Grand Street in the first meeting and split with third-place Telecommunications. In Caiazza’s eyes, his team isn’t inexperienced and young anymore, and deserves to be considered among the league’s best teams.
“I know they can play with anyone, but they have to know that,” Caiazza said. “Then they have to do that on the field.”
