Finley Baseball Compiles 3-7 Mark
The J. Taylor Finley Middle School baseball team compiled a 3-7 mark this past spring under head coach Thomas Tantillo. The 20-player Falcon squad was captained by Patrick Kennedy and Tommy Kopstein.
Tantillo called his players "great kids" and said the team "worked hard." With the exception of two games that resulted in lopsided losses, the coach said his squad was "in every game. Five losses were by two runs or less. We could have easily been 8-2."
Kennedy sparkled on the mound. "He had a great year and kept us in every game," Tantillo said. "He has a great fastball in the upper 70s (miles per hour), a knuckle-drop pitch and he developed a good change-up."
While Kennedy led the team in pitching, Brian Donnelly was the Falcons' top hitter. Chris Neary, Steven Napurano and Marco Caporuscio anchored the defense. Finley pitcher Isaac Rodriquez turned in many fine innings on the hill.
Tantillo said Donnelly did a "great job" of working with the Finley pitching staff from his catcher's position. Donnelly also came up with some big hits at the plate.
The highlight of the season came in an extra inning 2-0 victory over cross-town rival Stimson Middle School in the last game of the year. Kennedy needed less than 90 pitches to hurl a complete game. Finley scored on a successful safety squeeze by Rodriquez in the top of the ninth inning.