V.S. South punches playoff ticket

After missing the Nassau Class A baseball playoffs a year ago, Valley Stream South locked up a spot in this spring’s postseason with two weeks to spare and is aiming for a second-place finish in Conference A-III.

“We’d like to be the six or seven seed,” Falcons coach Ken Ward said. “We just want to finish up strong with a good series against Glen Cove. We go to their place twice, so it’ll be a challenge. We’ve got a chance for second and a home playoff game.” 

With North Shore all but officially locking up the conference crown, needing only to take care of business against struggling Floral Park, the race for runner-up status between Valley Stream South and Lynbrook is on. The Falcons (10-4-1 in conference games) and Owls split a three-game series in April, thanks to a 5-5 tie in the 10-inning finale called because of darkness, and neither will finish lower than third.

“We brought back a good group and the four sophomores we added really gave us a jolt,” Ward said. “Some not only made the jump to varsity, but are starring on varsity. They all act like they belong and they’ve handled pressure pretty well.”

Two of the tenth graders, shortstop Nick Hernandez and second baseman Chris Peralta, set the tone for the offense as the No. 1 and 2 batters. They began the year ninth and sixth, respectively. Hernandez is batting .426 with 17 stolen bases and capped the Falcons’ 7-4 victory over Bethpage on April 28 with a two-run single. Peralta is hitting at a .327 clip.

Sophomore Andrew Lazzara, who plays right field, came up with his biggest varsity hit in the same win over Bethpage, a two-run single with one out to put South ahead for good. In the series opener on April 25, sophomore Matt Doncell picked up his third win on the mound with a 5-3 decision over the Golden Eagles.