It's Do or Die Time/Waldorf Sweep Puts Varsity Baseball Up Against the Wall

Last week's two game series with Waldorf was critical to the play off hopes of the Portledge Varsity Baseball team. With both games being played at Broxmeyer Field there was an air of confidence around the young Panthers. When the games were over, however, Portledge had been swept, and despite some really fine play, the team was now staring at what had become "must win" games v. Solomon Schechter.

How Did the Series With Waldorf Unfold?

The first game of this evenly played and hard fought series was a great contest that saw some good hitting, fielding and pitching from both sides. Watching from behind the left field fence, I saw Sophomore shortstop Mark Dourmashkin make a beautiful play in the hole and Freshman Chris McClosky make a great catch in center. Senior Reid Ericson was his usual steady self on the mound, striking out at least one Waldorf batter per inning. At the plate, Junior Adam Kravietz one hopped the fence with a rope to left center, and Dourmashkin had a key single to drive in a Portledge run late in the game. In the end though, you had to tip your cap to the Waldorf pitcher who held the Panther hitters in check during their last at bat to secure the 5-4 win.

Friday afternoon saw the second game be played as close as the first with the matter not being decided until extra innings had been contested. Senior Dan Leavey had a great day at the dish as he reached base all five times up with three hits and two walks. I know the coaches have been waiting for Dan to show this type play and leadership. Let's hope the third baseman's fine play continues throughout the rest of the season. Mark Dourmashkin once again had a key late game hit as his triple drove in several runs to tie the game. Junior Adam Kravietz, Sophomore Ben Shapiro and Freshman Chris McClosky all pitched fairly well, and certainly gave the Panthers a chance to win this critical game. The Waldorf attack proved to be too much though, as the team from Garden City closed out the sweep with a 12-8 extra inning victory.

These results leave Portledge needing to sweep the season's second to last series v. Solomon Schechter to keep themselves alive in the race for the IPPSAL play offs. The Panthers will also need some help from OSNA, against SSDS, during the final week, but only if they are able to secure two wins first. With the series broken up by a weekend, the Panthers could conceivably start their ace, Reid Ericson, in both games. GOOD LUCK GUYS ....Let's make this thing exciting!

Tough Conditions/Varsity Golf Team Wins Only 1 of 5 Matches During a Big Week of Play @ Great Courses

What a week for the Portledge Varsity Golfers. On three consecutive days from April 22nd to April 24th they were able to play at The Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Westchester, The Greenwich Country Club in Connecticut, and at Tam O'Shanter on Long Island. This is a dream week for a metropolitan area golfer, and the Portledge players really enjoyed the experience.

First up was a tri match with Poly Prep and Hackley at Sleepy Hollow in Tarrytown , NY. The legendary Charles Blair MacDonald design provided an unbelievable challenge to the young Portledge team. With Senior captain Ray Weinmann home with the flu, Sophomore John Litke made his debut in the #1 spot. Litke played a fine round carding a score of 40, which could have been lower if not for a few missed short puts. There are no gimmes in High School competition. The star of the day was Freshman Stephen DiBartolomeo. Playing in the #2 spot, Stevie D was able to defeat both his competitors to earn the only Portledge wins of the day.

The next day the Panther swingers traveled to Connecticut to play Brunswick at the fabled Greenwich Country Club. On a windy day that made scoring extremely difficult, no player on either team broke 40. DiBartolomeo was the low Portledge golfer posting a score of 44 and securing a halved match with his Bruin opponent.

This incredible week came to a close with another tri match. This time the Panthers took on LuHi and Staten Island Academy at the great ol' lady of Brookville, Tam O'Shanter. Portledge registered a 4 to 2 victory over SIA, but were once again defeated by LuHi by a match score of 1 to 5. Weinmann and Litke posted team lows of 42, and Elizabeth Girgenti, playing in her first Varsity match, became the first Portledge girl to ever post a victory in head to head play, when she won her match in the #6 position. Way to go Lizzie!!!

With a current record of 3 wins and 5 losses the Panthers will travel out to The Woodmere Club on the South Shore for a big match with LWA this afternoon. What a beautiful day to play.....I wish I was teeing it up. GOOD LUCK AND HIT EM STRAIGHT!