By Mitch Abramson
Flushing and Bowne entered the game with a combined record of 5-27-1, so both teams approached the situation the same way: They both thought they could win.
“This is a game that can give you confidence,” said Luis Rojas, who homered in the second inning for Bowne.
John Bowne, winless in the division at 0-12, treated its matchup with Flushing as if it were the seventh game of the World Series, beating the team 19-14 in front of a small partisan crowd in a game that lasted three hours and saw both managers change pitchers and rotate players as if they were coaching an All-Star game. When relief pitcher Jon Rodriguez forced a ground ball for the final out, players mobbed him at the mound and celebrated the first win of the season.
“I'm happy for the kids. They never got down,” said Bowne's coach, Ed Brown. “Kids are crazy in a good way because they don't let the losses really affect them. They love baseball so much that they just want to go out there and play.”
That attitude certainly benefited the Wildcats in the first inning, when Flushing (5-16, 1-14 Queens East A) rocked pitcher Luis Laruelo for five runs, slamming a pair of doubles by David Chung and Jose Martinez over the centerfielder's head. At least Laruelo survived the inning.
Flushing coach Isaac Baumfeld pulled his pitcher early after Gabriel Hernandez threw two wild pitches and a passed ball that led to a meeting at the mound between the players and manager. Just as Baumfeld was reaching the dugout, Hernandez tossed another wild pitch that scored Laruelo from third. Out came Baumfeld again and in went Jeffrey Hernandez, who promptly gave up a two-run double to John Rodriguez and an RBI double to Valerio that brought home Rojas to make the score 5-4.
Out came Baumfeld once more, now watching from nearby the third base line to lessen the distance between the dugout and mound. Sergio Ang, the designated hitter, took the mound and gave up another double to Mike Alcaraz that scored Melvin Timothy and Danny Anchor, who both reached base on walks and Bowne (1-12-1, 1-12 Queens East A) led 6-5. Two doubles and a wild pitch later and Bowne led 11-5 after only one inning.
“I know I used three pitchers in the first, but I needed the outs,” Baumfeld said.
Flushing got back into the game when Michael Hsu scored on a passed ball and Darlyn Perez singled up the middle to score Joel Collado and suddenly Flushing was at the Wildcats' doorstep, trailing just 14-12.
But Bowne picked up where it left off when Alcarez singled down the third-base line to score two runs in the fifth to make it 17-12, and the Wildcats were on their way to their first victory.
“It's a great relief. All the pressure is off,” said Alcarez, a sophomore. “After you lose your first eight games, you begin wondering if the team is good enough to win. This game gives us some confidence for next year.”
Townsend Harris 4, Jamaica 3. Chris Fuchs hit a home run and drove in two runs for Townsend Harris (13-1, Queens Central B) Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Jamaica, which fell to 3-9 in Queens Central B.
Townsend Harris 11, Jamaica 1. Nikolas Kaloudis struck out seven in a complete-game win for Townsend Harris in the second game of the doubleheader.
Far Rockaway 10, Hillcrest 4. Sherwin Sukhu struck out 12 in a complete-game win for Far Rockaway (5-8, Queens South B) at home Saturday. Hillcrest fell to 3-9 in Queens North B.
Richmond Hill 11, John Bowne 9. Chris Esposito went 2-for-3 and drove in five runs for Richmond Hill (8-4, Queens East A) Saturday at Queens College. John Bowne dropped to 0-12 in Queens East A.
Newtown 4, Francis Lewis 3. Tommy Mejia struck out seven and allowed four hits in a complete-game win for Newtown (8-5, Queens West A) Friday at Francis Lewis, which fell to 5-6 in Queens East A.
Grand Street Campus 10, John Bowne 0. Carlos Vasquez drove in three runs for Grand Street Campus (13-1, Queens West A) Friday at Queens College.
Hillcrest 5, Springfield Gardens 4. Travis Mahadeo struck out eight in four innings for Hillcrest at Springfield Gardens, which dropped to 3-10 in Queens South B.
Franklin K. Lane 16, Jamaica 0. Francis Jaquez went 1-for-2 with a home run for Lane (10-3, Queens Central B) Friday at Jamaica.
CHSAA
McClancy 5, Holy Cross 0. Bob Gorvetzian pitched the complete-game shutout and hit a three-run double in the sixth inning for McClancy (10-11, 7-9 CHSAA). Holy Cross falls to 4-11 in the league.
St. Edmund's 11, Christ the King 1. Joe Romano tossed a two-hitter, striking out 11 to improve to 7-1 and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Danny Gale was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and four RBIs for St. Edmund (15-7, 10-6 CHSAA) while Christ the King falls to 0-13.
Xaverian 12, Christ the King 1. John Gennouai had seven strikeouts and Joey Menendez was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBIs for Xaverian (17-4, 14-2 CHSAA), which squares off with Molloy for the division title Thursday at 1 p.m. at Stanner Field.
Molloy 7, Holy Cross 4. Shaun Cheng delivered the key hit with a two-run double, Matt Doran picked up the win and Orlando DeJesus earned the save for Molloy (13-2 CHSAA).
Holy Cross 3, Christ the King 2. Joey Mare's two-out double in the top of the seventh inning scored Kyle Thomas for the game-winning run. Thomas also hit the game-tying homer with a solo shot in the fifth inning and Eric Johnson recorded the last four outs to earn the win for the Knights.
Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by e–mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
