Baseball: Vote now for lohud Player of the Week (April 8-14)
After another exciting week on the diamond, it's time to crown the lohud Player of the Week.
Meet the finalists that have been catalysts on the diamond. The players' credentials are listed above the fan poll — which will be live until 2 p.m. Tuesday. The winner will be announced on lohud social media accounts on Tuesday night.
Now, let's meet the candidates. And if the poll at the bottom of the page doesn't load, please click here.
Connor Benvenuto, Albertus Magnus
The Falcons' senior co-captain played a big part in Albertus Magnus' 4-0 week, which included wins voer Fenwick Academy, Lourdes, Nyack and Blind Brook. He batted .600 with 8 RBIs, and he drew 12 walks. While he was solid defensively, he was also instrumental on the mound, throwing five shutout innings in relief, with six strikeouts, to help the Falcons defeat Nyack.
Declan Bruder, Pleasantville
The sophomore second baseman helped the Panthers to a 3-0 week, including their first shutout win against rival Briarcliff at the home the Bears in more than a decade. Bruder batted .500 for the week, with a 1.283 OPS, six RBIs, nine runs scored and five stolen bases.
Tyler Castrataro, Mahopac
The Hofstra-committed standout had a big week at the plate. He batted .714, with a .833 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot. He also had a home run, three RBIs, six runs and three stolen bases through three games.
Luke Ciszewski, Hastings
The senior shortstop led the Yellow Jackets to three wins in four games this past week, making his mark in nearly every aspect of the game. Ciszewski batted 11-for-13 (.846) through the week, with two doubles, a triple, three stolen bases, eight runs scored, six RBIs and 11 assists from shortstop.
Marco Citro, Harrison
The Huskies' ace had a big-time performance on the mound in his lone start of the week. In a 1-0 duel against Rye Neck, Citro helped the Huskies to victory by tossing a one-hit shutout, while racking up a whopping 17 strikeouts in the winning effort.
Nick Fassert, John Jay-Cross River
The Amherst-bound senior continues to be a catalyst for the Wolves. Fassert enjoyed a big week at the plate and on the mound. In a 2-0 week for John Jay-Cross River, he led the way with his arm and his bat against Panas and Lakeland. Fassert threw a seven-inning complete game with 13 strikeouts in a win over Panas on Monday. Then on Saturday, he threw a one-hit five-inning shutout against Lakeland, with eight strikeouts. Offensively, he had multi-hit games in both outings and batted a combined 4-for-7 with three doubles, a home run and five RBIs.
Charlie Moustakakis, Nanuet
Through a 3-0 week for the Golden Knights, he batted 5-for-9 (.556), with a double, triple, seven RBIs and two runs scored. The Nanuet junior also had the game-winning hit in Nanuet's 2-1 win over league rival Pearl River.
James Mulligan, Briarcliff
He had a productive week for the Bears, batting 6-for-13 (.462) with a triple, home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Mulligan also had a big outing on the mound in Briarcliff's victory over Bronxville. He tossed six no-hit innings against the Broncos, while tallying seven strikeouts in the winning effort.
Gabe Santiago, Saunders
He was a consistent bright spot in Saunders' 2-1 week, which included a pair of wins over Roosevelt and a game against Rye. Santiago batted a combined 5-for-9 (.556), with a triple, grand slam and five RBIs. His grand slam came in a clutch moment against Roosevelt, with the game tied at 8-8 and two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Santiago belted the go-ahead grand slam to center field to help his team to victory.
Connor Southwell, Suffern
After solid pitching performances against the likes of Arlington and Ketcham, the Boston College-committed southpaw hurled another gem in his lone start last week, going 6.1 innings of one-hit ball with 12 strikeouts and just one walk in a win over Horace Greeley. He also registered multi-hit games against Port Chester and Fox Lane, with five runs scored and four RBIs in two games as a hitter.
Ryan Strnad, Kennedy Catholic
The Seton Hall-committed standout was a consistent force for the Gaels this past week, batting a combined 7-for-13 (.538), with four doubles, a triple, one home run and 10 RBIs.
Jake Warnock, Eastchester
The Eagles' pitcher delivered a pair of quality starts for Eastchester, going a combined 2-0 with only three runs allowed, while tallying 24 strikeouts through 12 innings of action. In a 2-1 win over Pelham, he went 6.1 innings with no runs allowed and 12 strikeouts. Then, in the third-place game of the Nyack tournament, helped the Eagles topple the tournament host with 5.2 strong innings, with 12 strikeouts and three runs allowed. Warnock also earned all-tournament honors at Nyack to top off his strong week.
Mike Weninger, Stepinac
It was a busy week for the Crusaders, and Weninger stayed hot at the plate. He batted a combined .429, with three doubles and seven RBIs.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud baseball: Vote now for Player of the Week (April 8-14)
