Three Run Homer Helps Advance Bears to Class C Regional Final

varsity baseball scored early and often en route to their 9-1 Class C Regional semifinal victory over the Spackenkill Spartans Monday at ’s Pleasantville campus.

“We’re patient offensively,” Briarcliff Head Coach John Consorti said of the key to the Bears success today.  

While a 9-1 rout would seem easy, the Bears are not taking any win for granted nor do they look at any game as an easy one.

“We’re happy to be in it this time of year,” said Consorti about the luxury of the Bears' playing high school baseball into the late spring months.

Brad Fox followed through on John Fussell’s line drive that scored Zach Ship with a three run home run for the steep 4-0 advantage.

The 18-6 Bears capitalized on the Spartans many walks to load the bases several times throughout the rest of the afternoon en route to the 9-1 win thanks to stellar defensive performances from the Bears outfield and infield for leeway throughout the games latter innings.

Don Neise’s 15-8 squad rally to attempt a comeback proved difficult despite Quinn Horvath’s line drive to score Adam Wagner for the 6-1 differential heading into the bottom half of the fifth.

In lieu of the Spartans struggles to limit the number of freebies allowed by pitch and other struggles at bat and defensively, a coach can be proud of his school’s baseball program who made it to a game before the regional final for the first time in five years.

“We played hard,” Neise said. “I’m really proud with the way we performed,” the Spartan coach added whose school last participated in regional playoff action in 2006 and state post-season action in 2005.

Spackenkill pitcher Billy Winnis (2-1) gave up only two hits and three runs while walking two in four and a third innings on the mound Monday.

Blake Kawalski (3-1) walked six, while striking out one in two and two-third innings pitched.

Josh Miller (7-2)  struckout four, walked two, and gave up only three hits in seven innings on the winning side.

Paul Henshaw has been given the starting nod for Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Class C Regional Final against section 11's Mattituck-Cutchogue Junior-Senior High School at Pace University’s Pleasantville campus.