CLASS A

No. 3 Hen Hud 8, No. 14 Tappan Zee 3 — So I was dead wrong about this one. I admit it. Hen Hud showed me a whole lot winning this game as easily as it did. Without Mike Tandy and Joe Rizzi, I still think pitching was a pregame concern here, but what was most underestimated was the Sailors’ offense. Chris Weiner obviously was terrific pitching out of jams. He allowed nine hits in six innings but limited Tappan Zee to just two runs. The offense supported him behind a two-hit, two-RBI game from T.J. Olesczuk and balanced hitting around him. Six different players had hits and six different players scored runs. No one had a better game than Nick Ritornado, who went 3 for 3 against Joe Gryzlo and Cody Woodford, TZee’s top two pitchers. If Tandy returns Monday, as many of you have speculated, and he can be sharp, expect Hen Hud to move into the semis.

No. 4 Ardsley 3, No. 13 Panas 2 — Give Panas an inordinate amount of credit. No team this season has picked up as many hits (eight) or earned runs (two) off Ardsley ace Mike Swerdloff this season as the Panthers had yesterday. Pedro Reynoso, the speedy quick-shooting basketball player, went 3 for 3. Teammate Ian Cole scattered 10 hits and nearly matched Swerdloff, but Ardsley’s offense did just enough and Swerdloff held Panas at bay. Andy Rose drove in two runs for Ardsley and Swerdloff, John Pilla and John Principio all had two hits. … Panas’ success driving Swerdloff deep into the game hurts Ardsley going forward. Even if it finds a way to get past Brewster, I don’t know how much he can pitch against Lakeland or Pearl River on Tuesday. That’ll put pressure on the rest of Ardsley’s rotation to step up.

No. 5 Brewster 11, No. 12 Harrison 8 — Brewster did what other teams haven’t been able to, exploding against Charlie Galasso. The Bears chased the Harrison ace after four innings with seven runs on 11 hits. Only Greeley had more success against Galasso, whose dominance disappeared as his workload increased. Four players had multihit games for Brewster, led by Ryan Carter’s 3-for-4, four-RBI day. Carter wasn’t his sharpest on the hill, but Chris Byrnes came through with enough relief to earn his fifth win. Mike DeLacy did what he could off Carter and Byrnes offensively, matching Carter’s production to the hit and the RBI. … The worry now for Brewster? With it having burned through both Carter and Byrnes, who pitches Monday? The Bears are in more dire straits than Ardsley, which still has the rest of its guys completely rested.

No. 6 Beacon 12, No. 11 Rye 9 — A quick admission here: I was told by someone who knows that Anthony Cervone has struggled late in the season for Beacon, despite his array of stuff. The Bulldogs can’t say the same about their sticks, which knocked in nine runs before the fourth inning ended. They hit five homers total, including two by Dan Turer, who went 3 for 3 with six RBI. The Poughkeepsie Journal chronicled the outburst – and Rye’s late comeback that scared Beacon but came up short. Paul Derderian (3 for 4, two RBI) and Chris Triano (2 for 4, three RBI) tried to lead the Rye rally. You have to wonder who Beacon has to matchup with Tandy, should Tandy go in the quarters.

No. 7 Eastchester 13, No. 10 Byram Hills 4 — You never know with Eastchester, which seems capable of just about anything. Yesterday’s answer by the Eagles was to dismantle a team they split with during the regular season. Who ever knows with this club? Tom Medico hit two home runs and pitched four innings to earn the victory. He helped stake himself to an 11-2 lead through three innings against Byram Hills’ top two pitchers, Matt DiPietrantonio and Paul Baumann, and Eastchester rolled from there. Mike Bastone had five RBI, Dan Sorine had three, and the Eagles were able to save Andrew Nickoletos for Monday. He pitched just one inning. Somers is obviously waiting, so Eastchester must check its Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies at the door.

No. 8 Pearl River 11, No. 9 Pelham 8 — This was all Pearl River right from the start. The Pirates hit an ineffective Zack Baker hard, scoring six runs in the first inning alone, pulling ahead 8-0 through three. Nick Mart, Bobby Holmsen and Josh Mendelson each had two RBI to lead a ridiculously balanced lineup. Mike Scarinci was sharp, but he was forced to return to the mound in the seventh to finish off the job after the Pirates’ bullpen was ineffective. Pearl River’s bats must continue to fire on Monday against Lakeland. No matter who the Pirates face, they will be hard-pressed to score half as many runs as they did yesterday.

Possible pitching matchups:
Joe Arena/Jon de Marte (Lakeland) vs. Mike Davis (Pearl River)
Dan Zlotnick (Somers) vs. Andrew Nickoletos (Eastchester)
Mike Tandy (Hen Hud) vs. Anthony Cervone (Beacon)
Nick Cerchia (Ardsley) vs. Brian McNamara (Brewster)

Anyone see it differently?