Lights Out Pitching Leads Peglegs to Undefeated Start

Bottom of the first, two strikes, bases loaded, and senior Dean Steinman’s bat at the plate. The opposing pitcher, looking understandably flustered, prepped for the pitch. To his apparent dismay, he was no match for Steinman, and a bloop up the right field line later, the Peglegs, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity baseball team, had their first lead at 2-0.

They would ride this momentum to extend their season starting winning streak to three games as they defeated Norman Thomas High School by a final score of 7-2 at Pier 40. “Our bats came alive early and got us going from the start,” senior and co-captain Jack Archer said.

After taking a 3-0 lead by the end of the first inning, Archer delivered with stellar pitching, which kept the opposition hitless and scoreless until the fifth inning. Meanwhile, in the bottom of the fourth, already up three runs to none, Archer hit a triple to tack on two additional runs onto their four run cushion.

After six impressive innings from Archer in which he struck out eight batters while walking just two and allowing only three hits, sophomore Jeremy Rubin capped off the win with a solid one-hit, two strikeout inning.

A highlight of the game was the Peglegs’ success on the defensive side, an area they struggled with last season. “Although I had a rough first inning, my defense helped me get out of it, and we were able to keep the intensity through the remainder of the game,” Archer said.

The Peglegs are currently atop the AAA Western league at 4-0, highlighted by strong performances in all aspects of the game and victories against formidable opponents.

Against Newtown, the opening game for the team, the Peglegs showed their potential right out of the gate. They scored nine runs, led by Steinman, who earned a hit on each of his at bats, including a homerun and a triple, and finished with four runs batted in.

The strength of the pitching staff was in full effect as Archer threw five solid innings, allowing only three earned runs. He was followed by Rubin, who tossed two scoreless innings to close the game.

In the second game of a back to back, the Peglegs took on the defending AA-level champion Bayside, who was moved up to the AAA level and entered the game coming off a 10-run outing in which they lost despite great hitting. They were looking to get their offense running from the start, but senior Tobias Lange silenced the Bayside offense, throwing a complete game and allowing only one run.

From the start, it was evident that the work put in during the offseason was paying off. Despite having limited practices and cancelled games due to inclimate weather, the Peglegs have stayed focused, and this has contributed to their active winning streak.

“I feel that we are very deep in the pitching department and that I trust who ever I put out there. Not many teams can say that,” head coach John Carlesi said.

However, what has made the Peglegs a significantly improved team from last year is the consistent offense and fielding, areas they struggled in last year. “The first few games of the season have hopefully put down a basis for the team to build on. We have had excellent pitching, fielding, and situational hitting” Carlesi said. “Our defense was stellar [to start the season], a big weakness we had last year. We are only two games in, but I feel that this team has grown very close in the Fall and Winter, and it has shown on the field.”

Many new faces on the varsity team have made positive contributions to the improved defense. “[Junior] Max Onderdonk and [sophomore] Malcolm Hubbell are two new players [who] have been huge impact players on the defensive side” Archer said.

A few areas the team will look to improve on going forward is lowering their strikeout rate and putting more balls into play. They emphasize the importance of the fundamental areas of the game and will look to perfect it. “I think the team needs to focus more on ‘small ball.’ Bunting, hit and runs, and hitting behind the runner—these are things that are going to win us games this year,” Carlesi said.

If the team can improve on these areas during practice and continue their red-hot play, they will certainly be a scary opponent for their division rivals.

The Peglegs will look to continue their offensive momentum in their next game against the Francis Lewis Patriots, a team that has allowed eight runs per game, on Wednesday, April 19.