By Laura Amato
It seems fair to say that the Bayside baseball team is feeling pretty good right now.
That wasn’t always true throughout the season.
The Commodores found a way to build up their confidence, however: winning. That’s done the trick pretty well. In fact, it’s also booked Bayside a trip to Yankee Stadium and the PSAL Class AA championship game for the first time in over 20 years. The Commodores have never won a city title.
Bayside will look to change that Monday, taking on Eleanor Roosevelt at 4 p.m.
“I think they’re confident and I think also, we had gone into the season saying winning a championship was our goal,” Commodores coach Pat Torney said. “I kind of likened us to the Yankees. We thought if we don’t win it all, it’s not a good season.”
While the Commodores are thrilled at the prospect of competing for a city title, the squad is well aware that the most difficult part of the season is right now. Getting to the championship is, after all, only half the battle.
The other half is winning a title. And, for Bayside, winning a title starts in the batter’s box.
The Commodores have been dominant at the plate this season, scoring five or more runs in 11 of 20 games. The stage may be bigger at Yankee Stadium, but Bayside is just as determined to rack up the runs.
“When we go up, we go up to the plate with a plan,” said junior shortstop Daniel Alfonzo, who hit .564 during the regular season. “When we’re in the on-deck circle, we study the pitcher and make ourselves a plan on how to get hits. We’ve been trying to steamroll everyone in our way by putting runs on the board.”
Of course, while putting runs on the board is certainly important, the Commodores’ defense has been stepping up to the metaphorical plate as well, particularly in the postseason. Bayside posted back-to-back shutouts in the PSAL quarterfinals and semifinals, cruising to victories over A. Phillip Randolph and East Side Community.
“They’ve been spectacular,” Torney said of his pitching staff. “Going in we knew pitching was going to be our strength and it’s played out that way. When we went into the playoffs, I told them the team that makes plays is the team that is going to win. So far, we’ve been making plays.”
That dominance on the defensive side of the ball could be the difference down the stretch for the Commodores. Eleanor Roosevelt has averaged just under eight runs a game in the postseason and the Huskies are more than capable of putting runs on the board.
“This team has really come together at the end of the season and it’s kind of like all hands on deck heading into the final,” sophomore first baseman Jesse Spellman said. “I think whoever we play we have to focus on what we can do. We just have to play as a team and keep our heads up no matter what.”
Bayside feels good about its chances of claiming a championship. The Commodores don’t want to jinx anything, but there’s no reason to go into this final game without anything but confidence. After all, with five seniors on the team, this squad has waited a long time for this opportunity.
They’re not going to waste it.
“It’s a real honor to get here,” Alfonzo said. “We’ve been working so hard all of last year and this year to achieve this opportunity. We’ve been through some rough times, but as a team we’ve faced the obstacles and now we get a chance to prove ourselves and try and win a championship.”
