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Enrique Diaz, left, and Elian Torrez. Photos by Thomas Netzer
Putnam Science Academy baseball coach Bob Hetu turned to a couple of bystanders near his team’s dugout during last Tuesday’s game and said, “This isn’t supposed to happen,” to which someone replied, “Maybe it is.”
In truth, a 17-2 win that day over Salisbury – the fourth-ranked team in New England – probably wasn’t supposed to happen. But it didn’t belie the point: PSA is really good team that has gotten outstanding pitching and, typically, timely hitting on its way to a 12-6 record. PSA even got votes in the latest New England poll, an incredible step for the first-year program.
Harry Roy had plenty of run support Tuesday, but it wasn’t like he needed much of it.
The PSA righthander improved to 6-0, scattering seven hits and allowing just two runs while striking out nine.
“We walked into the season and didn’t think we had a lot of pitching depth,” catcher Alberto Cantalini said. “Harry and Jacob (Hines), especially Harry, has really carried us. Every time he goes on the mound, he is ‘that guy.’ “
After Roy pitched around a two-out error in the top of the first, the Mustangs scored six times - via two hits and six walks - in the bottom half.
Then Roy, in what turned out to be his most important inning of work, struck out the side in the second, getting his team back at-bat with a 6-0 lead.
“It was about trying to get the bats back in the dugout as fast as possible,” he said. “They were already hot, so let them get back up and score.”
That worked out better than he could have imagined as PSA put the game away in the inning, plating 11 more runs on five hits and seven more walks.
All of a sudden, Roy was working with a 17-0 lead, but that’s not as easy as it sounds.
“All of the adrenaline, all the hype about the game just kept me going and kept me focused,” he said. “That, and just wanting to win.”
Chris Almanzar finished with two hits and scored twice from the leadoff spot. Ryan Hines had an RBI double and scored three times. And Cantalini finished with a double, four RBI, and two runs scored in yet another statement win for PSA.
“No one really knows who we are because we are a first-year program,” Roy said. “But beating the No. 4 team in New England 17-2...I think that says something.”
Said Cantalini: “It shows the group that we have, the work guys put in in the offseason. And we’re like a big ol’ family. Everyone is really close and we have a good time. After the games, the vans get loud. Before the game, we’re loud. We just have that team chemistry, and when you have that with a lot of good baseball players, we do what we do.”
There was more good pitching throughout the week. Monday, Lucas Bertram and Almanzar both pitched well and gave the Mustangs a chance but the bats just couldn’t get the big hit this time as PSA fell 3-1 to Hamden Hall, a top-15 team in New England.
And Jacob Hines battled his way to throw five shutout innings Friday before Kings-Edgehill of Canada scored four times in the sixth inning when he came out, handing PSA just its sixth loss in 18 games.
Enger Paulino had two hits and a walk while Enrique Diaz had a single, walk, and sac bunt for PSA, which hit a lot of balls hard but just couldn’t find any hole for them to drop into. Kings-Edgehill, meanwhile got its runs on a bases-loaded balk, a sacrifice fly, a long double, and an error.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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