Behind solid pitching from Matthew Condon, Crossroads defeated the Brentwood School 7-2, in this Gold Coast League rivalry matchup. Condon finished the game with four strikeouts; while shortstop and NYU commit Jake McCaffery went 3-4 with RBI and two runs.
Crossroads improved to 2-2 with the win.
Jake McCaffery was the lead off batter for Crossroads and hit a single to start the game. An error by Brentwood pitcher Hayden Prince brought McCaffery home to score the first run. Avery Deutch also made it on base and was able to score a run from a Jesse Abrams RBI. Next, Condon took the mound. Prior to the game, I spoke with his mother Sarah Rosenhouse, she said, “He throws a fastball, curve ball, slider. That's probably what you’ll see today. Sometimes a changeup.” The score at the end of the first inning was 2-0, in favor of Crossroads.
In the second inning, Oliver Winkler was able to lay down a bunt to bring home Miles Zoog. The Crossroads bats were really getting to Brentwood pitcher Prince. Crossroads was using a bunting strategy to get players moving on the bases. McCaffery was able to get a sac fly which led to Winkler scoring. Meanwhile, Condon had all of his pitches on display. His curveball was particularly impressive. The score at the end of the second inning was 4-0, in favor of Crossroads.
In the bottom of the third, Bradley Selma was able to get Brentwood on the board due to an error at first base. Despite the error, Crossroads looked well coached. The team displayed impressive fundamentals, solid pitching and relatively clean play in the field. At the end of the third inning, the score was 4-1, in favor of Crossroads.
In the fourth inning, Condon was still showing off his array of pitches. He was in command, sharp and his mechanics were outstanding. He also has an effortless release on his pitches.
In regards to the pitchers, Crossroads parent Jay Ackerman said, “Pitchers only need about two days rest. Typically these guys only go about 3 innings.” In the bottom of the fifth inning relief pitcher Leo Le Blanc entered the game. He was able to get out of the fifth inning with the score still 4-1, in favor of Crossroads.
In the sixth inning, Abrams laid down a bunt and Le Blanc was able to score. In the bottom of the sixth, Le Blanc finished the inning and showed some emotion after a strikeout by smacking his glove on the way to the dugout. The score at the end of the sixth inning was 5-1, in favor of Crossroads.
In the final inning, Lukas Lin and McCaffery were able to get on base. Deutch was able to send them home with a shot into left field. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Le Blanc was focused on closing out the game. He ultimately gave up one run. Deutch made an incredible play in the outfield to win this game.
Darryl Harvey,SMDP Intern
