In a rematch of last year’s NYSAIS State Quarterfinals, the baseball team traveled to Long Island Lutheran on Wednesday to face off with the two-time reigning PSAA Champions. The Bears last competed in the PSAA in 2019, when they engineered an undefeated PSAA Championship season before going independent.

A combined pitching effort from Alex Baaden, Matthew Ramirez, and Mateo Lopez limited LuHi to just 1 hit while ringing up 6 strikeouts in four mercy-rule-shortened innings. The offense, meanwhile, had little trouble after going down 1-2-3 in the top of the 1st. In the 2nd, the Bears hung eight runs, thanks to a Lopez double (2 runs), Juju Martinez single (1), Jayden Stroman walk (1), Aiden Ruiz fielder’s choice (1), and Jojo Franco ground ball error (3).

Five more runs came across in the 3rd on a Seth Laureano single (1), Stroman single (1), Logan Charboneau triple (2), and Franco ground ball error (1). The Blue & White put the game out of reach in the 4th with seven more runs on a Laureano fly ball error (1), Stroman walk (1), Ruiz single (1), Charboneau walk (1), Franco walk (1), and Stephen Cisz ground ball error (2).

Stroman and Charboneau, two of the top six sophomores in New York according to Prep Baseball Report, led the offense with 3 RBIs each.

---