West Hempstead back in win column

After compiling 15 victories in 2014, wins have been far and few between for West Hempstead on the baseball field. The young Rams are 3-8 in the Nassau Countywide Conference on the season, and have had difficulty finding consistency.

After losing eight of its past nine contests, West Hempstead got back in the win column with a 5-2 home victory over Elmont on April 29. Sophomore Matt Morel had his finest outing of the season, earning his first varsity win by going the distance and striking out 15 batters. Tristan Vega’s two-run single in the third inning gave the Rams a lead they would not relinquish.

Despite the tough season, head coach Bill Cloghessy hopes his team can finish strong. “We’re a very young team, but we have a core of players who have talent and want to be successful,” Cloghessy said. “We’ve struggled a lot with the bat, and don’t have much depth on the mound. Hopefully, we can win a series or two, and carry some momentum into next season.”

If the Rams get more performances from Morel like the one he gave against the Spartans, things could be looking up. After yielding a pair of runs in the opening inning, Morel mixed in his breaking ball and had Elmont off balance for the rest of the afternoon. He didn’t allow a hit over the last six innings.

“When he came off the mound after the first inning, I told him that he needed to throw his off-speed pitches,” Cloghessy said. “I don’t think he was as loose as he needs to be. He was throwing his fastball too much, and was too predictable. He found his stuff, and pitched a great game. Hopefully, we’ll see more of that in the future from him.”

Ironically, West Hempstead has played its best ball against the league’s toughest opponents. On opening day, the visiting Rams scored four runs in their final at bat to knock off Uniondale 11-9. Sophomore Matt Arasmo was 4-for-5 and scored a pair of runs. The Rams dropped the final two games of the series with the Knights by scores of 2-1 and 5-4.

Lacking depth, the Rams have been without shortstop Ryan Sandberg for a bunch of games. Sandberg was 6-for-8 in the three-game set with Uniondale, and is counted on to pitch the third game of every series.

West Hempstead found an interesting way to beat conference leading Great Neck South. The Rams won 2-1 despite being no-hit by Mitchell Cohen, who struck out 13, but walked eight. Dylan Suffa drew a walk with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to bring home the deciding run. Arasmo earned the win, allowing just two hits over six innings.

West Hempstead will open its final series of the year at home against Hempstead on Monday at 4:30 p.m. The series then shifts to Hempstead the following day, and the 2015 finale will be played on the Rams’ field on May 13.