Like his Manhasset baseball team, Alex Anderson’s season at the plate has seen its ups and downs.
The sophomore first baseman started the season red-hot, but then cooled off midway through the year.
The message from Indians coach Brian Corbo was simple: Keep working.
“As a hitter you can get frustrated and go the wrong way very fast, but he’s stuck with it and we’ve stuck with him through this,” he said. “We made him work it out and he’s doing well, having good at-bats and obviously the last one was huge.”
On Monday afternoon with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Anderson actually did go the other way with a two-run single to left to lift Manhasset to a thrilling 9-8 win over Lawrence.
Anderson’s first game-winning hit couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.
“The feeling was great, never had it before,” Anderson said.
Trailing 8-7, Tyler Juliano led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left and Charles Mack walked. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, forcing an intentional walk to Joe Enea.
The situation dictated the move since it meant a force at any base. But Anderson took it personally.
“It’s insulting when the guy in front of you gets walked because they think you’re an easy out,” he said. “You just have to prove them wrong.”
Anderson laced a single to left, scoring Juliano from third. From the third base coach’s box, Corbo was aggressive from the time the ball landed in the outfield and waved Mack home as well. The throw home was late and Mack slid into the plate with the winning run in a game with major playoff implications for the Indians.
“I just felt good today,” said Anderson, who also had an RBI-double in the second inning. “I’ve been a little streaky, but today was a good day to finally break out of it.”
Highlighted by Matt Basso’s solo home run in the third, Manhasset (6-11, 6-9 Nassau Conference A-IV) raced out to a 4-0 lead, but Lawrence (2-13) exploded for a seven-run, two-out rally in the fourth inning to take a 7-4 lead.
“For most teams it’s a big deflator, but we’re just a team that keeps on fighting,” Anderson said. “We never give up. Whenever we’re down we just have to keep grinding.”
That’s just what the Indians have done late in the season, puling out big wins against Lynbrook and Valley Stream South.
“The team has fight, it’s what I preach to them,” Corbo said. “I told them when we got down they had to stay together. They couldn’t get frustrated.”
Manhasset rallied in the sixth with three runs, two driven in by left fielder Jon Stefan, a first-year senior who has been an emotional leader since joining the team after three years of lacrosse.
“When I saw I had runners on second and third, all I was thinking was put a ball up the middle, drive them in any way I can,” Stefan said. “Thankfully I did and the rest was history in the seventh inning with big [Anderson] here.”
Lawrence capitalized on a pair of errors to take an 8-7 lead in the top of the seventh, but with an insurance run at third, Matt Stratford induced a huge inning-ending groundout to
Florian Capobianco, who had a two-run single to right in the fourth.
Stratford picked up the win, allowing one unearned run on one hit, striking out two with one walk in 3 1/3 innings of relief.
The character win keeps Manhasset in contention for the Nassau Conference A-IV title. The Indians control their own playoff destiny.
“It’s in our hands and that’s what I’ve preached to the boys,” Corbo said. “Right now the way we’re playing, coming with late rallies and winning games at the end, to me that’s the right team you want going into the playoffs.”
