Somers 12U makes third straight finals appearance

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Thursday, August 7, the Somers 12U team faced Mahopac in the GHVBL semifinals, and on the mound, Luka Guaragna was completely at home with the pressure.

“I’ve done it before,” he said, and the visitors were forced to learn firsthand over five and two-thirds innings.

Removed after reaching his pitch count limit, Guaragna got the decision after Mike Paulmeno registered the save in a 6-4 victory.

He came out strong, too. A pair of popouts to Jon Lantz at first had the Red Storm in line behind their pitcher, but Mahopac broke the string. Luke Sorrentino and Mike Moretti walked, and Rhys Yurkovic drove a two-out single past short for a 1-0 lead.

Guaragna retired the side on a fly out to JJ Holub in right, and then Mahopac countered with some defense of their own. A deep fly by Lantz was run down in left, and grounders gobbled up at second and short left two runners on but ended the inning. Luca Ciavardini then took his turn.

Around a Guaragna strikeout, Ciavardini twice ranged masterfully, and a pair of groundouts had him giving voice to his process.

“You just have to have that mentality that you know you can make the play,” he explained.

Confidence extended to the batter's box. After Lucas Robinson singled and Colton Gorgone walked, the shortstop singled through the left side and tied the game with two outs.

The defense wasn’t resting either. After Luke Sorrentino walked, Ciavardini got dirty on Moretti’s grounder in the third base hole, and the effort was no surprise to the team’s DH.

“He doesn’t care about his face,” said Justin Mariani. “He dove, because he wanted it.”

Unable to register an out, the runner remained at second, and a hit was still needed. A long fly ball to center proved the point, and the leaping grab by Mikey DeLuca had JJ Penzo praising his centerfielder’s fuel-efficient engine.

“He’s tiny but he’s fast,” boasted the catcher.

Gorgone then snapped up a ground ball at second, and defense turned into offense again. In stepped Holub, and going big was on his mind.

“I was looking for a home run,” he said.

A single instead, the left fielder stole two bases, and Mike Paulmeno followed with a walk. First and third with one out, Ryan Colderbanks lifted a bloop behind second, and when the ball fell, the Red Storm took the lead.

Lucas Robinson kept it going with an infield hit to short, and Gorgone followed by playing smart baseball. He took the ball to the right side and brought in another run.

Now up 3-1, the Red Storm defense continued to keep Mahopac bats calm. Two more plays at short by Ciavardini and a Guaragna strikeout moved the game to the bottom of the fourth.

There, the Mahopac defense wasn’t as flawless. Lantz reached on an error with one out, and the door was opened. Holub walked, stole second, and Mariani singled in a three-run lead.

He then stole second and third, and Paulmeno made the most of the opposite field. His fly to right field made it 5-1, and Colderbanks finished off the three-run inning with a single to left.

Of course, Mahopac didn’t show up just to roll over. But they still had to deal with the Somers defense.

With the leadoff batter on in the top of the fifth, Sorrentino’s drive to deep center didn’t have Ciavardini worrying. “I was thinking I know he’s got it," Ciavardini said of DeLuca. “I’ve seen him make that play before.”

The center fielder made a leaping grab, and Somers was five outs away. Not so fast—Moretti launched an RBI double, but Guaragna kept on point by striking out Yurkovic. Still, the visitors needed a clutch hit. Lance Capizzi delivered and cut the lead in half.

Another out still needed, Guaragna induced a grounder to third, and Colderbanks made the play. No insurance was forthcoming in the bottom, and Guaragna put the team on his back.

He got Nate Wertz on a comebacker, and after Derek Clark singled, the winning pitcher reached his limit with a fly out to right. In came Paulmeno, and he left any jitters on the bench.

“I was excited to come in and close the game out,” said the reliever.

He did lose Sorrentino on a razor-close 3-2 pitch, and Moretti’s single put the party on hold at 6-4. Not for long—Paulmeno fielded another comebacker, and Somers hopes to make their third straight finals appearance the charm.

Unfortunately, the Red Storm had their run ended with a 10-1 finals loss to Mavericks Navy.