Sophomore Anthony Telesca found his way out of trouble in the first inning, settled down, and dominated Brentwood on Thursday, as Sachem East rolled, 7-2.
"I was just happy I could get the job done for the team," said Telesca. "In the first inning I didn’t really have my stuff, but after that I settled in and got the job done."
After allowing two runs in the first, Telesca allowed just two baserunners, both singles, in the next six innings. He pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 10.
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"It didn’t seem like he could locate in the first inning, he wasn’t really helping himself," said Sachem coach Kevin Schnupp, "but he stopped the bleeding and settled down. He really did a nice job."
The Arrows (5-7 in League I, 6-7 overall) exploded for six runs on six hits, all singles, in the bottom of the second inning, as their bats gave Telesca some run support.
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"It was a lot more comfortable for me," said Telesca about pitching with a lead. "I was able to pitch well and the team had my back, we were able to get the win."
He got help escaping trouble in the top of the first thanks to two great catches by his outfielders. First, with one out, Dan Hetzel made a nice over-the-shoulder catch in right field. Brentwood's (4-11) second run scored on the play, but East was happy to trade a run for an out.
The next batter hit a line shot to center field, but Tom Trifaro fully extended to make another great grab to end the inning.
"Our outfielders have been great all year," said Schnupp. "Tommy Trifaro’s is just an amazing centerfielder. He’s probably one of the best centerfielders we’ve ever had. He gets a great jump. He made a great play, and it changed the inning. It changed the game."
With the victory, the Arrows notched their first sweep of the season. It couldn't have come at a better time, as they need to win five of their last seven games to clinch a playoff berth.
"We’re just going one game at a time," said Schnupp. "We’re 5-7 right now and you’ve got to get to 10 wins. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. We’ve got a rivalry game coming up with Sachem North, that’s a great program over there. But then we’ve got to worry about Longwood on Monday. Saturday’s for fun, but Monday’s a huge game."
