Emerson Baseball Is Ready to Hit the Field
The Emerson baseball team season started on April 1, with a game against Pompton Lakes. They have been putting in a lot of work over the off season with captains’ practices and indoor training. Additionally, the team had two scrimmages Thursday and Friday versus Westwood whom they tied and Hawthorne Christian whom they won against.
“I am very optimistic about the team this year, a lot of returning players led by Patrick Walsh a 4 year starter, Jared Scharf 3 year starter and senior Derek Mackenzie who all worked very hard in the off season,” said Coach Sommerhalter.
Sommerhalter is a very passionate coach, he played baseball for Emerson and wants to keep the culture and traditions alive through coaching.
“I am excited for this upcoming season because I believe we have a bright future with our team. We have great captains that push us to our limits and test our skills. We have a great coaching staff and we are looking to add another ring to Emerson Cavos Baseball,” said sophomore center fielder, Tony Rinkiewicz.
Unfortunately, the Cavos lost their opener against Pompton Lakes 2-1. Jeremy Lachman, Patrick Walsh and Julian Morales all recorded a hit. Pitcher Derek Mackenzie had 6 strikeouts. It was a very close game with not much action after the first 3 innings, but they had a solid defense. The Cavos were held to 1 run which was scored by Lachman.
Tuesday’s game against Midland Park on April 9th was a thriller. In the second inning, Midland park went up 4 runs. However, the Cavos got their first run of the game in the 5th inning. Then with the bases loaded in the 6th inning, Mikey Amoia hit an absolute nuke of a grand slam to make the game 6-5. In the 7th inning, both teams scored a run, resulting in Emerson beating Midland Park 7-6, for the Cavos third win in a row.
“If the weather doesn’t affect us we are going to play New Milford if the field is ready. We are practicing hard inside and pitchers are keeping their arms in shape in the bullpens,” Sommerhalter said.
The team won Wednesday’s game against Park Ridge 2-0 to add on to their winning streak.