Norman Thomas was in the opposing dugout, the Manhattan A East crown was on the line, and the crowd was so large and loud that players had difficulty communicating with one another.
It was hardly a setting for an underclassman to make a name for himself. Kevin Torres isn’t any ordinary underclassman, either; he’s a sophomore right-hander new to pitching.
“We believe in him,” Mandl said of Torres, who was a backup shortstop on the JV last year. “We wouldn’t have put him out there, if we didn’t think [he was up to it].”
Torres rewarded the coaching staff’s trust by tossing five stellar innings of one-run, three–hit ball for his fifth league win in George Washington’s 3-1 victory over Norman Thomas.
He struck out five, walked three, and got out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the third against the top of the Tigers’ lineup. He got Eugenio Mesa on a fielder’s choice, retired Miguel Reyes on a sacrifice fly and induced Albert Morales into a groundout.
“To me, it was the biggest point of the game,” Norman Thomas coach Nerva Jean Pierre said. “I got to give credit to the pitcher. He did a great job.”
Nelson Rodriguez drove in two runs for George Washington (15-0) and Luis Toval also had a run-scoring double. Mike Antonio and Xyruse Martinez, who picked up the save, also scored a run.
The win was significant for the Trojans in that they snapped their three-game losing streak to Norman Thomas (14-1), the defending city champion. The Tigers ended George Washington’s 25-year run of league titles last year with a pair of close victories.
“We wanted that back, it’s big in that sense,” Mandl said.
The victory was also the Trojans’ best against a quality opponent. They had already fell to James Monroe, Tottenville and Ivy League dynamo Poly Prep. At the season’s outset, Mandl said this group could be his best because of the deep and dynamic lineup and abundance of power arms. They got that aura back on Thursday.
“We needed to show ourselves we are as good as I’ve been telling them all year,” Mandl said. “We had to get back on track.”
Norman Thomas, meanwhile, received a well-pitched game from ace Isaac Reynoso. The lineup, however, which had scored in double figures nine times entering play and was viewed as the Manhattan school’s strength, was stagnant and unproductive.
“It would be nice to beat them tomorrow, but the mission statement is to win a city championship,” Jean Pierre said. “I told the kids if we can win tomorrow we both finish 15-1, and win the division.”