Kennedy baseball team struggles after strong start, back-to-back bad losses create cause for concern

 

By Jason Eisenberg

 

April 13, 2011 -- Will the real John F. Kennedy baseball team please stand up?

 

It is still early in the 2011 spring sports season, but through the first two weeks on the schedule, the JFK Knights are quickly beginning to emerge as the local area’s “Two-Face” team.

 

Expected to once again be among the top squads in New York City, it was not a surprise to see Kennedy open with three consecutive dominant wins -- first beating Christopher Columbus and then Samuel Gompers twice -- while outscoring the opposition by a combined total of 34-8. However, any positive momentum built from these victories is now a distant memory after what has taken place since then.

 

Not only has JFK dropped two consecutive contests, but what is even more concerning is that the team was not even able to make it through seven full innings in either defeat. First, the Knights were handily beaten 17-7 by a South Bronx squad that appears to be one of the city’s early-season surprises. That game lasted six innings before the mercy-rule took effect, but the next outing would prove to be even worse for the local team. On Monday afternoon, the Knights made it through just five innings in a shocking 10-0 loss to Walton, which had entered the day with only a single win in four games.  

 

“We made like eight errors against South Bronx and several more now in this game, so the defensive woes are becoming a major problem. But the fact is my team played with no intensity today, actually it was like a morgue on our bench,” said longtime Kennedy head coach Alex Torres. “Just because this program has kicked butt through the years does not mean these guys can just show up and play without heart and passion. It looks like I have to move some people around and whoever brings their ‘A-game’ is going to play.”

 

Senior pitcher Williams Martinez was given the ball for his second start of the young season, but unfortunately it would not be nearly as successful as the first. After throwing six strong innings to get a win against Gompers five days earlier, Martinez lasted just three frames in this outing, while allowing six hits, four walks and seven runs. The Kennedy defense failed to provide much help behind him, though, as four of the runs were unearned due to numerous errors.

 

It actually appeared as if the Knights would escape the first inning with the game still scoreless. Walton had one runner on the bases and two men out, but three straight hits and two Kennedy errors later, and suddenly it was 4-0. Walton would be in control the rest of the way, adding three more runs off of Martinez in the third, as well as another three spread over the fifth and sixth innings against the Kennedy bullpen. Along the way, the Knights made three more errors in the field.

 

Meanwhile, the usually powerful JFK offense showed no signs of life nor mounted any kind of threat at any time in the entire contest. The Knights’ top five hitters -- sophomore Erich Gonzalez, Martinez, senior Pedro Taveras, junior Hansel Rodriguez and junior Phillie Guzman -- went a combined 0-for-9 at the plate, with Rodriguez reaching base once on an error and Martinez and Taveras each drawing a walk. Kennedy got its first and only hit of the day in the top of the fifth, on a bloop single by senior third baseman Richard Zorilla that landed just inside the foul line in shallow rightfield. The only other player to reach base safely was senior Roulin Perdomo, who also walked in his first at-bat.   

 

The costly fielding mistakes have seemed to occasionally plague the Knights for several years now, but there is no explanation for why an offense this talented could come up so empty. Yet, with one of New York City’s most successful and respected coaches at the helm, nobody should bet against Kennedy righting the ship, but they need to do it soon before this turns in to a downward spiral.

 

All of the pieces are in place for JFK to turn this slump around, as the team has what should be a solid one-two punch at the top of the pitching rotation, with senior ace Raviel De Jesus and Martinez, when he is back in top form, as well as several other quality arms that can either start or come on in relief. The offense revolves around Taveras, who many expect to be the best hitter in the PSAL this season, but there is more than enough skill around him in the batting order to provide support and protection for the star centerfielder. 

 

“Williams might not have had his best stuff, but if he pitched an excellent game, it would not have mattered on a day when we could not buy a hit. Even if we played flawless defensive ball, we still would not have won this game,” said Coach Torres. “These guys have to get out there and play like their pants are on fire, like it is their last game and always leave every thing they have out on the field. Our goal is always to get to the city championship and I know we have the talent to do it, but first we have to shape up the defense and get all these issues figured out.”