Spartans hopeful pre-season baseball success carries over

Florida - It’s still early. At this writing, league games have just started, but the Seward Spartan baseball team’s 10-1 non-league record is impressive. Those ten wins have come against quite an assortment of teams, some old rivals, some new. The first game of the season, a 15-11 win, was against the combined Livingston Manor-Roscoe team played in Livingston Manor. For Seward, the senior trio of five-year veterans, Mickey Collins, Brenden Myers and Bryan Folkl, all produced timely hits. Collins stroked three singles, Myers crushed two doubles and two RBIs and Folkl laced an RBI-single. Senior Lee Buelta also chimed in with two doubles and two RBs. Win number two was another close one, this on at home, a 12-11 verdict over Rhinebeck. Collins has the hot bat, going 3-4 with four RBIs. Myers, who was credited with the win, drove in two runs with two base hits. Wins three through six were all registered at “Baseball Heaven” in Suffolk County on Long Island. In a doubleheader the Spartans downed Port Jefferson 13-7 in the first game and Pierson-Bridgehampton 6-5 in the second. Against Port Jefferson, Folkl was 5-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Collins added two more hits and three RBIs and Myers earned the win while also stealing nine bases, a New York State record. He stole second base four times, third base four time and also stole home on the front end of a double steal. Myers went 2-4 in the second game and Collins had a bases-empty home run. Dylan Gaucher got the win. The next day the Spartans topped Mercy twice to complete the successful four-game sweep on the Island. In game one, an 8-3 win, Collins and Steve Sinisi each hammered out two hits. Folkl went 2-3 with a home run and three RBIs to help Kyle O’Sullivan notch the win. Collins got the win in the 8-5 second game and also continued his torrid hitting with two hits and two RBIs. Last week, on Tuesday at home, the Spartans down Eldred 9-2. Chris Weslowski picked up the win. O’Sullivan single, doubled and drove in two runs. Buelta stroked two singles. Also at home on Thursday, Florida topped Chapel Field 11-6. Jeremy Harter hit a solo home run and Myers had three hits and three RBIs. Senior pitcher Collins chalked up career win number twenty. On Friday it was more of the same as Florida topped Chapel Field 12-4. Veteran Myers was the winning pitcher and the other two five-year players, Folkl and Collins, each drove in two runs. Spartan coach Bill Steele has a veteran team this year and the record shows it. Seven seniors usually start, together with two sophomores, Dylan Gaucher and Jeremy Harter. The rest of the 17-man roster is made up of juniors and seniors. Seems like a good year to do some great things.