By Ted Waddell
MOUNTAINDALE — June 27, 2003 – Runwise, it was a sparse evening for the Sullivan Spartans, as they were defeated 9-4 by the Washingtonville Wildcats in Wednesday night’s Collegiate Baseball League (CBL) game at Baxter Stadium.
Things started out well enough for the Sullivan Spartans (2-5). In the bottom of the first, the Spartans scored the first run of the game. David Bradstreet singled and stole second.
He advanced on a base hit by Billy Reichmann, and came across the plate on an RBI single by Jesus Pintado.
In the second frame, Washingtonville (2-2) made it a 2-1 ballgame.
John McCombs singled and advanced on a wild pitch. A base hit by Jeff Van Etten scored McCombs. A single by Dan Matland sent Van Etten home.
After a couple of scoreless innings, the Wildcats pounced on the Spartans with seven runs in the top of the fourth, aided by some good hitting and several errors by the home team.
“We fell apart,” lamented Spartan General Manager/Coach Tim Havas. “They hit the ball well, but we helped them out with errors on what should have been routine plays.”
In the Spartans turn at bat in the sixth, they got three runs to close out the scoring under a scorching sun at 9-4.
Reichmann led off with a single and Pintado walked. Andy Peterson’s RBI base hit scored Reichmann. Tim Gilmore singled to load the bases.
Player/Coach Jared Carrier’s RBI poke sent a pair of runners across the plate.
But that was all she wrote for Sullivan.
Kyle Bright started on the mound for the Spartans. He was relieved by Sean McGuire, who loaded ‘em up in the fourth by hitting Jose Ortiz with a pitch that shaved the inside of the plate a bit on the close side.
McGuire got the job done until the sixth inning when it all fell apart in the infield.
But in every cloud there is a silver lining, as 21-year-old Monticello Central School grad and Spartans second baseman/shortstop Gil Suarez is headed off Monday morning for a tryout with the New York Mets.
That’s right, a golden opportunity to make it to the show – Major League Baseball.
Suarez graduated from Monticello in 1999, where he played shortstop and “pitched a little bit.”
After playing at Orange County Community College the past two seasons, Suarez is looking to transfer to St. Thomas College.
Of course, he is happy to be trying out for the Mets.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” he said. “I hope I make it.”
Accompanying him to the Big Apple will be Havas, who has known Suarez since the aspiring big leaguer was playing in Little League.
“To see a kid have that chance makes you proud,” said Havas.