With a host of new faces in the lineup, it’s no surprise that it’s going to be “all hands on deck” for the New Rochelle Huguenots this spring. On March 30, the Huguenots put that philosophy to the test against visiting Suffern in a big way, rallying in extra innings to down the Mounties in their home opener.
But while it might be tough to infer too much about a season from one game, one thing is evident; the mindset and grit of this young New Rochelle team will allow it to compete with anyone in Section.
Trailing by one run heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, New Rochelle’s ability to put the ball in play bedeviled the Suffern defense, as the five Huguenot hitters reached safely, scoring the game-winner on a well-placed bleeder from catcher Robby Glusker to give the hosts a well-deserved 4-3 win.
Second-year head coach Claude Balliet said his squad’s mental toughness proved to be the difference-maker on Saturday.
“A lot of teams who give up the lead in extra-innings, you can see them get down or defeated, but you didn’t see that today,” he explained. “These guys kept working in the eighth inning, they came to the plate with good approaches and we were able to scratch out a win.”
But if New Rochelle’s hitters came through in the clutch, so did their pitching staff. After ace Will Rangel was forced out of the game after being hit with a comebacker, sophomore Sam Cave stepped in to help the Huguenots go the rest of the way, picking up the win.
Balliet said that big things are in store for the young right-hander.
“For a sophomore to walk into that situation and handle it the way he did, that was impressive,” said Balliet. “He had a good Florida trip, so he came into this game with a little bit of confidence, but I don’t think he expected to be in this game when he came to the field today; so when you have someone who can compete mentally like that as a sophomore, you’re dealing with something really special.”
With two wins this week—the Huguenots also beat Clarkstown South 5-4 on Monday afternoon—New Rochelle is looking to stay hot as the season kicks off in earnest.
“We feel like we can compete with anyone and so far we have shown that,” said Balliet. “It’s just going to come down to getting the experience of being in tight games, and so far, so good.”
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