POUGHKEEPSIE – The cliché is that pitching thrives in the postseason. A loaded stock of arms for Lourdes baseball is determined to make it a reality.
Wrapping up the regular season on Tuesday, May 19, The Warriors’ program based their way to a 11-2 victory over Washingtonville. After allowing two solo home runs in the first inning, the powerful stable of arms once again proved their dominance by shutting down the Wizards the rest of the way.
This time, it was Lourdes’ (12-5) combination of Justin Discher and Patrick Apmann on the hill. After giving up two solo shots on back-to-back pitches in the first inning, Discher settled down to allow just two more hits the rest of the way in his five innings of work. Apmann then entered and tossed two scoreless frames to end the night. The two hurlers didn’t allow a walk in the game, something their head coach believes is a massive asset of the whole staff.
“The key is getting outs and they throw strikes. We don’t throw a lot of walks, it doesn’t matter who’s on the mound that day,” Randy Delanoy, the head coach of Lourdes said after the win. “The only way we’re going to go further is our pitching.”
With five different pitchers tossing at least 16 innings of work through the regular season, the Warriors boast four with a 2.50 ERA or less. Max Burlingame (2.47,) Apmann (2.10,) Peter Karas (1.29) and Roy Underwood (0.88) have all shown true dominance on the mound this season.
“I’m very deep in pitching, so if anyone is struggling at any given time, I have 11 starters. That’s a lot for a high school, and I got lefties and righties. They all work the zone and got multiple pitches.” Delanoy said.
Underwood, who leads the staff with 31⅔ innings, has been the unequivocal ace of the roster. With a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 53:8 and just four earned runs allowed, a lead arm like that will have Lourdes in a position to win any game it plays. He’s also been a star with the bat too, hitting .393 with a .500 OBP, leading the team in hits, runs scored and walks drawn.
“I got Peter Karas, a flamethrower. I got the lefties Max Burlingame and Pat Apmann… we’re very deep on it,” Delanoy said. “Any given time honestly, put the names in a hat and pull it out.”
As much of a relief it puts on the coach to have the trust in any player that picks up the ball on the mound, it’s equally important for the members of the team itself. Having the trust that each and every person can do the job efficiently only makes the confidence of every player rise.
Delanoy made sure to note that the confidence and support of the school system and fans plays just as much of a part into that confidence as anything else.
“It starts from the captain of us, our principal, vice principal, athletic director, assistant athletic director and the trainer, they are so supportive. That’s what makes these guys play,” he said. “They see these people sitting in the stands and watching them, that’s what makes them play well. It has nothing to do with me coaching them.”
The support will surely follow Lourdes, however deep the team makes it through the postseason. One certainty though is that the ammo will be locked-and-loaded on the mound for every challenge.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Lourdes pitchers determined to power baseball team through playoffs
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
