Tappan Zee Baseball Beats Pearl River In Kayser-Bello Game

Sloppy defense cost the Pearl River High School baseball team, with four errors in the first two innings leading to six runs, five unearned, in a loss to Tappan Zee on Friday.

The Dutchmen didn’t score after the second inning, but held on for the 6-3 win at Veteran's Memorial Park in Orangeburg. The two teams were playing in the annual Kayser-Bello Memorial Game. The contest played in honor of Billy Kayser, a Pearl River student who died 10 years ago from injuries sustained from a car accident, and Chris Bello, a 2001 Tappan Zee graduate who also died after a car accident.

Members from both families were at the game and were presented with flowers by both teams. Pearl River Head Coach Bruce Miller, who coached Kayser, said it’s always an honor to play in the game with family members present.

“It keeps their memory alive for the players now,” Miller said. “The families have been great. The Kaysers are very supportive of the program. They have a scholarship in Billy’s name they give to a baseball and softball player each year.”

Miller said on the 10th anniversary of Kayser’s death earlier this year, he took his team to Kayser’s grave to further honor him, as well as teach the team about the importance of life beyond baseball.

“Billy loved to have fun and joke around, but once game time rolled around he was serious,” Miller said. “He really loved the game. A lot of the guys on the team are like that too.”

After the game both teams and families met at home plate to some group photos.

But prior to that there was the matter of the actual game, and it wasn’t a pretty start for the Pirates (8-4-1). The poor defense started early, after Tappan Zee’s Tim Ehardt led off with a single. He got to second when Pearl River starter Kevin Considine tried to pick him off, but threw it away. Ehardt came around to score on a single by Tom Morales.

Considine threw away another pickoff attempt in the second inning, that with runners on the corners, which allowed Liam Russell to score for Tappan Zee. The biggest hit in the five-run second was a two-run single ripped to left by Mike Mante.

Miller said Considine hasn’t had issues throwing over to first this year, and has actually picked off a few runners. He also said defensive issues have been an issue in the team’s losses.

“Our pitching and defense has been our strong point this year,” Miller said. “However, in our losses, it’s been our defense that lets us down.”

For the Dutchmen (7-5), Tappan Zee Head Coach Mark Stanford said he felt his team built up the 6-0 lead thanks to a number of good at-bats. However, he thought the team eased up a bit after the second inning.

“I felt like we didn’t get too lax defensively, but we did get pretty lax on offense,” Stanford said. “You have to give their pitching some credit, but I would’ve liked to see our guys a bit hungrier at the plate later in the game.”

Tappan Zee also got a lift from starting pitcher Chris Monaco, who appeared in his first game in roughly two weeks after missing time with a sore arm. He pitched three innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking five and walking one.

“The first two innings looked really good,” Stanford said. “There was some predictable tiring in the third, but it was his first game in a few weeks.”

Mike Woulfe pitched the last four innings for Tappan Zee, giving up just one run.

The Pearl River runs came from a few big hits. In the bottom of the third, Rich Masley singled and came around to score when Chris Beers belted a triple that one-hopped the wall in left field. Beers scored on a wild pitch.

In the bottom of the fifth, Shane Ocasal singled and scored on an RBI triple by Considine.

The Pirates and Dutchmen are scheduled to play twice more this season, May 14 at Tappan Zee and May 16 at Pearl River.