High School Baseball Report

By Deigo Mack

GAME OF THE WEEK

Our ‘Game of the Week’ brings us to a match up both teams had marked on their calendar. The third ranked Bathgate Educational Complex (6-0) meets sixth ranked Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (5-1), 4 pm Friday April 27th at Seton Park Field located at 232nd Street in Independence Avenue. This is a key game for both teams as each looks to establish themselves as a Bronx ‘AA’ division powerhouse.

East meets West should be a tagline as the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Tigers look to stay atop the ‘AA’ WEST division and the Bathgate Bulldogs fight to conquer the ‘AA’ East. Bathgate head coach Steve Lomuscio said “We want to compete at a high level and we know Riverdale is a smart team and their tough to beat” he continued, “It always comes down to defense and good pitches but we’re really hungry and have some solid players.”

He does have a solid third baseman in Sterling Rodriguez who is having a breakout year as a senior. On the other side, Riverdale/Kingsbridge is loaded with playmakers like junior Ulysses Luciano and pitcher Richard Gonzalez, a 3-0 sophomore with a low ERA.  We’re expecting fireworks this Friday as these two ranked teams battle for Bronx bragging rights and a chance to make a statement in 2018.

The winner may have a chance to move up in our Bronx varsity baseball rankings. Clear your calendar, grab your popcorn and bring the whole family out to this high school baseball game.

High School Baseball Rankings (week of 4/15 – 4/22)

Sitting atop our Bronx High School PSAL Baseball rankings you’ll find James Monroe Eagles who record stands at an unblemished 7-0. As expected, defending PSAL Baseball Champions at James Monroe HS have gotten off to an excellent start this season led by experienced head coach Michael Turo. The James Monroe varsity baseball program has continued to be a force in the Bronx AAA division. Batting leaders are seniors Jordy Batista, Samuel De La Cruz and Juan Pinero who respectively sits atop their division in RBI’s, along with talented underclassmen freshman Derek Suliz, sophomore Bryant Bassett and junior Miguelange Toribio. Starting junior ace pitcher Edward Urena Hernandez leads the division in ERA percentage and junior closer Timothy Rivera compliments a tough pitching line up. The eagles look ready to make another run at a PSAL baseball title.

Here are the Bronx PSAL High School Baseball Rankings for the month of April:

James Monroe Campus 7-0The defending PSAL champions are playing solid baseball under Coach Michael Turo. The eagles have two home games this week and should remain in the Top 10 all year with great pitching and hard hitters.

Walton Campus 5-0

Walton Campus is making a run for a city title as they remain undefeated in a tough AAA division. Senior first baseman Steven Quezada contributes his .625 batting avg. followed by talented sophomore Joshuar Melendez at .667 and a pair of pitching seniors in Esteban De Los Santos and Leury Tejada.

Bathgate Educational Complex 6-0

This Bulldog team is led by ‘Mr. Everything’ in talented senior Sterling Rodriguez. The infielder is listed in his Bronx ‘AA’ division top ten in the following statistical categories: batting average, doubles, home runs, stolen bases, On Base Pct., RBI’s, runs scored and walks. Head Coach Steve Lomuscio has his team destined for a great season as they remain undefeated in April. The 2018 season has gotten off to great start for our third ranked Bathgate varsity baseball team.

Grace Dodge 5-1

Senior players Bryan Cleto and Albel Virg Ruan Morel are tied for a league leading .714 batting average. If their hot bats continue, Dodge may advance far in the playoffs.

Evander Childs Campus 6-1

Starting senior pitcher Pablo Campusano leads his division with forty nine strikeouts and is also a threat at the plate. Offensively complimented by junior precision hitters Jalfani Cruz and Rommy Jimenez plus senior slugger Jasson Medina, this north Bronx team looks ready to make a statement this year.

Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy 5-1

The youngest team on this Top 10 Bronx rankings are led by junior Ulysses Luciano with a .692 batting avg. along with starting sophomore pitcher Richard Gonzalez with his 3-0 record thus far.  Look for the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Tigers to make a solid run in the playoffs this season.

South Bronx Preparatory 4-2

South Bronx Prep Cougars have stayed consistent with senior outfielder Andrew Hawkins who leads his division in RBI’s and sophomore Angel Rodriguez as a strikeout pitcher on the mound. Add in junior two way threat Alexander Reyes and you have another hot team in the Bronx ‘A’ south division.

Christopher Columbus Campus 3-1

This season Columbus boasts a trio of senior leaders in Fabio Landestoy, Welkin Guzman and Giovanni Diaz. They alternate between positions and last minute heroics. The Explorers will be hard to beat this year and will go as far as their balanced pitching will take them.

Samuel Gompers 3-1

The scrappy Gompers team is fighting to stay relevant in their Bronx South league led by senior pitchers Luis Castillo and Christophe Martinez in the stat columns. The Panthers are a team searching for an identity each game. Martinez doubles as an offensive threat along with sophomore second baseman Alberto Cuevas who surprises us with his batting skills at the plate. With consistency, Gompers will make some noise this year.

Dewitt Clinton 4-3

Don’t let the Governors three losses fool you. Currently they sit in third place with a chip on their shoulder inside the toughest division in the Bronx.  Senior Osvaldo Reyes and the speedy senior Michael Rodriguez lead them into territory unknown. Sophomore Usher Valdez looks like a solid player in the outfield too.

Comment: theboxingsun@gmail.com

.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email