STAMFORD — There is an adage in baseball about getting your leadoff man on base and good things happening.
Especially if the players behind him can get him over and get him in.
That is exactly what the Westhill baseball team did Wednesday against city rival Trinity Catholic.
Leadoff man Dean Depreta reached base three times, scoring twice as the Vikings defeated the Crusaders 3-1 at Westhill in a game that was played in a brisk hour and 40 minutes.
In the first inning, Depreta walked, reached second on an error, went to third on a sacrifice fly and scored on another sacrifice fly.
In the fifth he tripled and came home on yet another sac fly.
Depreta knows his job is to get on base any way he can, which is what he did by walking twice and clubbing the triple to right-center field.
“I’m just trying to see good pitches and get on base,” Depreta said. “It is fun when everyone is hitting but we can also move guys over without hits and that’s what we did today.”
Westhill had to manufacture runs with Trinity pitcher John Hazzard dealing most of the afternoon.
Hazzard has kept Trinity close in every game he’s pitched, but the young Crusaders have just not given him much in the way of run support.
“It was a good baseball game and both pitchers deserved to win,” Trinity coach Tracy Nichols said. “John Hazzard pitched a wonderful game for us and he has pitched wonderful all year. Offensively we are just not getting key hits and that has been our biggest problem.”
Hazzard, a right-hander, went the distance, allowing just four hits while striking out four.
He was matched by Westhill freshman Leo Socci who pitched well in his second straight outing, picking up the win over 5 1/3innings of work.
Socci allowed four hits, but three of those came in the first inning, including a single off the right field fence by Dan Bernard, scoring Trey Donoghue for the Crusaders only run.
From there Socci was in control before Hunter Semmel relieved him in the sixth.
Semmel came in with two on and one out, escaping the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
“That’s two good outings for Soch,” Westhill coach DJ Mulvany said. “We have a lot of confidence in him because he can throw three pitches for strikes. We will take that every time. That kid in the first inning drove the ball to right center but nobody really squares the ball up on him too well. He can locate his fastball in and out, he has a curveball he can locate and he has a change that he can keep down.”
Westhill scored it second run in the second inning on a RBI single to left by Tyrone Jeronimo.
Anthony Frangiose drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly and Johnny Spoto drove in the last with another sacrifice fly.
Scott.Ericson@scni.com; @EricsonSports
WESTHILL 3, TRINITY CATHOLIC 1
TRINITY 100 000 0 – 1 4 3
WESTHILL 110 010 X – 3 4 0
Records: W – 5-2, 3-2 FCIAC; TC – 2-6, 0-4 FCIAC
Batteries: W — Leo Socci (W), Hunter Semmel (6) and Joey Skarad. TC — John Hazzard (L) and Dom Svrcek
Highlights: W — Dean Depreta 2 runs; Tyrone Jeronimo RBI single; Michael Tufano run. TC — Dan Bernard RBI; Trey Donoghue run
