B.B. Trojans lose in championship of P.C. Anthony Foust Tournament

May 1, 2024 at 11:25 p.m.

Blind Brook’s Jack Pastor loads and prepares to hit in last Saturday’s (4/27) first game of Port Chester’s Anthony Foust Tournament at Rec Park against Sleepy Hollow. The Trojans won that game, advancing to the championship at Port Chester High School later that day where they lost to Port Chester. (Jake Radwaner/Westmore News)

The Blind Brook Trojans finally had confidence after snapping their seven-game losing streak when they hosted Haldane on Saturday, Apr. 20. With a 2-7 record, the boys knew their upcoming series against Rye Neck would be a big one, with the annual Port Chester Anthony Foust Tournament lingering after that, upcoming on Saturday, Apr. 27. The Trojans are still aching with injuries—they are still missing star senior pitcher Andrew Rogovic on the mound due to blisters and left-handed sophomore Asher Toll, who is still recovering from a back injury, is not yet ready to throw full games.

On Wednesday, Apr. 24 the Trojans hosted Rye Neck in game 1 of a two-game series. It was freshman Daniel Glantz starting, who took the Trojans through four innings. A plethora of errors coupled with rough offense out the gate put the Trojans down early. Alex Schneider relieved Glantz, and he took the Trojans through three innings, with nine strikeouts and only allowing one earned run. Again, it was errors that gave Rye Neck an additional two. The batting was strong, with Rogovic, Jack Pastor, Alex Schneider and Nick Violino all recording hits and Zach Schneider and Robbie Cuesta getting two hits on the day. The first five Blind Brook batters in the order all scored, but it was not enough for the Trojans to break away from the Panthers. The Trojans fell in game 1 by an 8-5 score.

The next day, Blind Brook traveled to Rye Neck for quick revenge. This time, it was Toll who took the mound. He was restricted to only a few innings as he is still recovering from the back injury he suffered a few weeks back. He took the Trojans through a flawless four innings, striking out six and allowing no hits. The Trojans had already put one on the board, and at this point it was looking good for them. Cuesta came in to relieve Toll and pitched solidly, taking the Trojans through another four, striking out six more and only allowing three hits. However, it was the errors again that led the Trojans down, allowing Rye Neck to score. Despite hits from Rogovic, Pastor, Cuesta, Toll and Glantz, the Trojans were not able to put enough runs on the board and fell 2-1 in a heartbreaker to get swept by Rye Neck.

The 2-9 Trojans then went into the weekend getting ready for the annual Port Chester High School Anthony Foust Tournament on Saturday, Apr. 27. Their first game was at 10 a.m., facing Sleepy Hollow at Rec Park. It was senior day, and the Trojans did a great job honoring seniors Zach Schneider, Zach Rosenblatt, and Andrew Rogovic, who have all put so much effort into this baseball program for years. Schneider started on the mound and lasted the entire seven innings, only allowing three hits and one run, recording 10 strikeouts. The Trojans were able to back him up offensively, with hits from Rogovic, Cuesta, Jake Messafi and a walk-off run from Elliot Zwicker to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning 2-1. With this win, the now 3-9 Trojans advanced to the championship at Port Chester High School at 2:30 p.m.

Zwicker took the Trojans through the first four innings, allowing six hits. Only two earned runs were allowed, but errors from the Trojans’ weak defense let four more score. Cuesta came in to pitch an inning, followed by Chris Davis. In the top of the fourth inning, Zwicker, Glantz and Messafi walked to load the bases, and a balk from the Port Chester pitcher followed by a wild pitch brought Zwicker and Glantz home. In the top of the sixth, Zwicker again scored from a balk, and Rogovic hit an RBI single up the middle, scoring Messafi. In the top of the seventh, Messafi kept the Trojans alive, knocking a bullet of a double into centerfield, scoring one. However, the Trojans were not able to pull out the win, and they fell to Port Chester 10-5 in the tournament championship.

Notable performances included Jake Messafi, who reached base all seven times he batted on Saturday. Elliot Zwicker and Zach Schneider both won tournament awards, with their contributions having led Blind Brook to the championship. Following this tournament, the Trojans sat at 3-10, facing a two-game set against Westlake away on Monday, Apr. 29 and at home on Wednesday, May 1. They will travel to Pleasantville on Thursday, May 2, to Pawling on Monday, May 6 and will be back at home on Tuesday, May 7 to face Pleasantville. The Trojans will then travel to Westlake on Wednesday, May 8 and Horace Greeley on Thursday, May 9, with all games starting at 4:30 p.m.