One cannot question the dedication of the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School baseball team.
The Presidents had one the busiest and most hectic nights of the year — their prom — on Friday. Hours later on Saturday morning, they were on their field in Hyde Park taking batting practice before boarding their bus to NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton for the New York State Class A regional final.
The fight in the Presidents can’t be questioned, either. Section 9 champion Roosevelt slipped into an early four-run hole against the Spartans, but battled back, finding themselves in a tie game in the seventh.
However, a trip to the state final four came down to one swing.
Maine-Endwell’s Josh Chandler delivered a three-run walk-off home run to beat the Presidents, 8-5, and oust them from the state tournament.
Notwithstanding the tough loss, coach Kory VanZandt expressed a deep level of pride in his players.
“This is a group that I’ll talk about forever,” said VanZandt, whose team finished the season 15-6. “I’ll talk about how they approached the game, the way they had each others’ backs and how they were never out of it. Any game, they were never out of it.”
That rang true against Maine-Endwell.
Trailing 4-0 in the top of the fourth, Patrick Vivalda clocked a line drive, two-run single through the middle into centerfield to cut the lead in half.
The next inning, Ron Vespe laid down a bunt with James Cook on second. An errant throw allowed Cook to come around and score.
Then, down by one in the top of the sixth, Roosevelt loaded the bases. Cook cracked an RBI single to tie the game, before Tyler Landolfi gave the Presidents a 5-4 lead with an RBI single of his own.
But Maine-Endwell didn’t yield, tying the game in the sixth before the big game-winning home run in its final set of at-bats.
“I think the best way to wrap it up — these guys are resilient,” VanZandt said, pointing to the season-opener when his Presidents rallied from a 9 run deficit to beat Pine Bush. “This has been the character of this team all season. Just resiliency, that’s what it is for these guys.”
The Presidents had captured the section title on June 1, beating Minisink Valley, 9-3. Before then, the last time Roosevelt attained sectional glory — in 1971 — "The Brady Bunch" was still on the air and Richard Nixon was the sitting President.
The Presidents won 9-3 on Saturday, capturing the Section 9 Class A crown. A.J. Martelli, Poughkeepsie Journal
"This group made history," VanZandt said.
Roosevelt will be back next year with a young corps. It is graduating plenty of senior talent in Vespe, Landolfi, Vivalda, Cook, Ryan Card, Conor Harris, Joe Felipe, Marco Finocchi, Owen Pacchiana, Jack Cimorelli, Isaiah Harris, Zach Byrum, Nick Puleo and Dylan Merritt.
“From day one, that these seniors have been with me the last four years," VanZandt said, "their dedication and commitment to the time and effort they put into the gym, starting in January and right through the season — you couldn’t ask for anything more as a coach."