By Dylan Butler
It was one of those games Ted Riofrio was looking forward to, another chance for the Richmond Hill baseball team to earn respect against a traditional Queens powerhouse.
The Lions sophomore delivered both at the plate and on the mound to lead underrated Richmond Hill to a 6-4 win at Francis Lewis Monday.
“Our school doesn’t have the reputation of schools like Francis Lewis and Cardozo,” said Riofrio, a transfer from Bayside. “We’re trying to change that.”
One thing is for sure. If Francis Lewis didn’t respect Richmond Hill before the game, they certainly did seven innings later.
“I’m pretty sure we came in overconfident,” said Francis Lewis coach Randy James. “But I give their pitcher a lot of credit. He moved the ball around and threw the curve at key times.”
Riofrio effectively mixed up his three pitches — a curve ball, a change-up and a fastball — and after giving up four hits in the first two innings, scattered two more over the next four innings.
“He’s a finesse guy,” said Richmond Hill coach Greg Reo. “He’s one of those pitchers who hits the spots and mixes up his pitches. When his curve is on kids in high school are going to have trouble hitting curve balls.”
He also helped himself out with a controversial leadoff double to left-center field in the sixth inning, which appeared to be caught by a diving Mtume Fenton. But the umpire ruled Fenton lost control of the ball and Riofrio alertly scampered to second base as Fenton argued his case.
Mike Guanieri, who allowed just an infield single through five innings, forced a pair of groundouts before freshman Juan Roman stepped up and laced a single to center to snap the 1-1 tie.
Richmond Hill (11-3-1, 3-2-1 Queens East A) loaded the bases with one out before Riofrio golfed Guanieri’s 1-2 pitch into center field to drive in two more runs. Jason Martinez — one of two seniors in the Lions lineup — followed with a two-run single to center to put Richmond Hill ahead, 6-1.
“I just wanted to put the ball in play,” Riofrio said. “He threw me a curveball and I just got the bat on the ball.”
Francis Lewis (11-3, 3-1 Queens East A) rallied late, scoring three runs on four hits in the bottom of the seventh but was haunted by early base-running blunders.
“Sometimes (aggression) burns you,” James said. “They really surprised me with their throws. They were right on the money.”
Bayside 10, Thomas Edison 0. Anthony McCarty was one pitch away from his second no-hitter of the year, but he was foiled by Leo Marin, who tripled with two outs in the top of the fifth inning of the mercy-rule shortened game. McCarty, who struck out 10 with one walk, was also 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored. John Lee was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, and Mike Dynia was 2-for-4 with a home run for Bayside (8-3-1, 4-1-1 Queens East A).
Cardozo 10, Van Buren 0. Danny Rosenbluth pitched a perfect game, striking out eight, and Constantine Venitis went 4-for-4 with a home run for Cardozo (11-7, 4-0 Queens East A) in a mercy-rule shortened game.
Grover Cleveland 12, Newtown 3. James DeBernardo's two-run single broke a 3-3 tie in a nine-run sixth inning, and Mike Boothby struck out nine in a three-hitter for Cleveland (10-6, 4-2 Queens West A).
Franklin K. Lane 15, August Martin 6. Miguel McDonald went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, and Chris Caamano went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Lane (4-1 Queens Central B).
Townsend Harris 6, Campus Magnet 5. Nick Kaloudis went 3-for-4 and drove home the game-winning run with a triple in the eighth inning, while Chris Fuchs allowed one hit in five innings of relief for Townsend Harris (7-8, 5-2 Queens Central B).
Robert F. Kennedy 12, Hillcrest 8. Bryan Purcell went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored, and Kevin Martinez struck out six in three innings of relief for RFK (2-4 Queens Central B).
Bryant 4, Queens Vocational 1. Bryan Marte went the distance, striking out 11, and Wilfredo Ortiz was 2-for-2 with a run scored for Bryant (4-1 Queens North B).
Jamaica 10, Springfield Gardens 4. Kevin Mongru fanned 15 and Alex Villamar went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a single for Jamaica (2-3 Queens Central B).
James Monroe 9, John Adams 0. Luis Rosairo struck out 12 and allowed just a Louis Gioppo single with two out in the seventh inning to lead Monroe (22-3-1) in the final of the Monroe tournament Friday. John Adams, which reached the final courtesy of a Lehman forfeit in the semifinals, falls to 23-2-2.
John Bowne 10, Edison 8. Anthony Brisita went 2-for-4 and allowed three earned runs in six innings, and Enrique Zentano was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Bowne (4-1).
Archbishop Molloy 9, St. Francis Prep 4. James Lally went the distance to pick up the win for the Stanners, while Shaun Cheng and Matt Rizzotti both contributed two hits and two RBIs Monday at Cunningham Park. Molloy is now 9-2 overall and 5-2 in league play.
Christ the King 6, McClancy 5. Martin Cunningham belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to tie it for the Royals, and Robert Boland’s run-scoring double moments later propelled Christ the King to the win Monday afternoon. Starter James Calamia fanned 13 for CK, now 12-8 overall and 4-2 in league play.
Xaverian 11, Holy Cross 10. The Clippers won, courtesy of a game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth off the bat of Pedro Beato. Jonathan Ortiz added five RBIs and Kyle Odom drove in four for the winners.
Monsignor McClancy 10, Christ the King 3. Pitcher Kevin Conlin belted a home run and went the distance to pick up the win for the Crusaders Sunday while teammate Chris Cesario added two two-run blasts. McClancy improved to 4-3 CHSAA in league play with the win.
Christ the King 16, Holy Cross 8. Robert Boland smacked two home runs and Roger Cobourne added another as the Christ the King offense beat up on Holy Cross Friday.
St. Edmund Prep 4, Monsignor McClancy 3. Mark Lussier gave up just four hits and struck out six in going the distance for the win. Carl Agostinacchio had three hits and two RBIs in the win.
Christ the King 8, St. Edmund Prep 7. A day after losing 9-3 to PSAL power James Monroe, Mike Maloney’s bases-loaded single in the seventh gave CK and reliever Martin Cunningham a hard-fought league victory over St. Edmund.
St. Francis Prep 19, Monsignor McClancy 11. Joe Ivazes had four hits and Pete Mazzurco chipped in three for St. Francis Prep, which moved to 6-2 in league play with the win.
St. Francis Prep 5, St. Edmund Prep 0. Dave Robertson and Steven Eng gave up just three hits to combine for the win, while Terrier Mark Burik provided the offense, going 3-for-4.
St. Francis Prep 11, Christ the King 4. Ivazes was a home run short of the cycle, as Prep rebounded from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the seventh and score eight more in the eighth to put the game away.
— Anthony Bosco contributed to this story
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
