Baseball: Red-hot Albertus Magnus downs Croton-Harmon for first Section 1 title since 2017
PURCHASE - May is for Magnus.
Since taking a tough, close league loss to Bronxville to end the month of April, the Albertus Magnus Falcons have soared to new heights.
On Saturday, they went one step higher above the rest of Section 1 Class B. The Falcons captured their first section title since 2017, extended their winning streak to 11 straight, and went through the Section 1 playoffs giving up just three runs as they flew to the top. They defeated Croton-Harmon, 4-1, in Saturday's championship game.
"This one's really special to us," Albertus Magnus coach Matt Rivera said. "One of the reasons being we graduated eight seniors last year, so we thought it might be a rebuilding year for us. Early in the season, halfway through, we were about .500, so we weren't sure how we'd be moving forward. We basically made a few adjustments and the kids picked it up.
"We had a tough game against Bronxville, a league game, we lost and I think it was a wake-up call for them. After that, they just grinded and worked hard."
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To the Falcons, there was some added motivation and significance behind this year's title run.
While it's nice to remain undefeated in the month of May, they were hoping to get the title in honor of longtime Albertus Magnus theology teacher and sports announcer Joe McKenna, who passed away on Monday after battling pancreatic cancer.
"McKenna Strong" became a rallying cry.
"He was a star in the Albertus community, he brought a bright light to everyone," Albertus Magnus pitcher Pat Veintimilla said. "Even if you didn't have him as a teacher, everyone knew who he was. He was a big announcer for us, everyone knew his voice and we're just glad we're able to bring this one home for him."
Croton-Harmon struck first, thanks to a RBI single by Evan Kurtz. The Tigers managed to load the bases in the first inning, but Ventimilla and the Falcons were able to hold firm.
After that early scare, the Falcons settled in. They got the game-tying run in the third inning off of a Logan Scholl sacrifice fly RBI.
Croton didn't muster many scoring chances, while Albertus Magnus broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning. An error allowed the Falcons to tack on two runs to pull away, before Jack Gallagher added one last run on a sacrifice fly RBI to make it a 4-1 lead.
The score held from there.
"I've been here four years, and to do it my senior year, it's something special," Gallagher said. "I love these boys. We gave it our all this season, and we finally got going at the right time. I just couldn't be happier for me and my teammates, and my coaches."
What it means
Albertus Magnus wins its first Section 1 Class B title since 2017. The Falcons will play the Section 9 champion on Thursday, June 1 in the NYSPHSAA Class B subregional at John Jay-Cross River. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Player of the game
Pat Veintimilla, Albertus Magnus: The junior ace took home MVP honors after pitching a three-hitter, with one run allowed. He had three strikeouts, but kept the Tigers off-balance all game long after settling into a groove.
By the numbers
No. 4 Albertus Magnus (17-6) — Logan Scholl went 1-for-2 with a RBI. Jack Gallagher had a sacrifice fly RBI. Joe Dwyer went 2-for-3. Connor Benvenuto laid down a bunt, which Croton-Harmon had an error fielding, which allowed the Falcons to score two runs on that same play and Benvenuto take third in the bottom of the fifth inning.
No. 6 Croton-Harmon (19-7) — Evan Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a RBI. Aidan Callahan had a hit and scored a run. Andrew Kim went four innings, with one earned run with four hits and a strikeout. Kurtz pitched the last two innings, with no runs and one hit allowed.
They said it
"We knew that if we just played baseball, go out there, we can beat anybody," Gallagher said. "That's what happened. We just stayed true to each other, played our best baseball at the right time. Job's not finished though, we're still going to go all the way and try to win a state title."
"There was a point midseason, where we were winning a couple, losing a couple and went on a losing streak, but we turned it around," Veintimilla said. "I'm glad we were able to do that. Once we started winning game by game by game, we realized this is ours for the taking. From the beginning of the season, from winter workouts, we've been working hard for it and I'm glad we were able to get it."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Baseball: Albertus Magnus tops Croton for Section 1 Class B title
