LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — It was a tough loss for the Wildcats of Livingston Manor (3-11), as the combined varsity baseball team of the Manor and neighboring Roscoe were defeated 14-0 on May 15 by the Yellowjackets of Eldred (4-6). The game was called after five frames by the “Mercy Rule,” as the visitors led by 10 runs at the end of five.

“We finally came out of our slump in the middle of the lineup, as they finally got their bats going, which enabled us to get our carousel moving,” said Eldred’s helmsman Joshua Santoro, of his swatters, Frankie Whitmore and Josh Warming.

According to Santoro, once these batters came alive, it allowed the sticks of the team’s 7th, 8th and 9th hitters to swing into action, driving runners across the plate.

On the way to victory, Eldred posted 8 runs in the third frame, which the scorebook listed as the Yellowjackets’ big inning, after scoring 2 in the opening salvo.

Eldred’s Josh Warming earned the win, striking out 12 while giving up 2 hits, going 3-4 and posting 3 RBIs at bat.

He was relived on the mound in the late innings by Ben Gillespie, who yielded 3 hits.

Frankie Whitmore went 3-4 with 3 RBIs.

With the victory, the Yellowjackets made it into the upcoming Sectionals.

With a nod to the spirit of good sportsmanship by not running up the score, Santoro said, “It could have been more, but that’s not what’s it’s about—it’s about playing the game the right way. You have to respect the game and your opponent.”

The Wildcats are led by co-coaches Dylan Smith and Joshua Evans, and field a team composed of nine players from Manor and three from Roscoe.

The team features a trio of seniors (Robert Staud III, Morgan McKinley and Anthony Zamenick), with Staud and McKinley serving as captains.

“It was a rough game; we have a lot to work on,” said Coach Smith of the loss to Eldred. “I don’t think the score reflected on our ability… we’re building for next year.”

Coach Evans pitched in. “We started off pretty rough number-wise, bringing the two communities together… overall the season has been up-and-up.”

The Wildcats have “seen tremendous growth between the first day of practice and the last game,” he added.

In addressing the combo-team’s goals for next year, Evans referred back to the numbers and how the team links the communities of Livingston Manor and Roscoe. “Hopefully [we’ll] increase the numbers [of players] between the two communities, and continue to build a better program.”