2010 VARSITY HIGHLIGHTS:On April 7, the Hitmen came away with their first league win, an 8-0 beat down over the Brandeis Bulldogs. The Hitmen had a slow start offensively, with only one hit by junior Scott Chiusano in the first three innings of the game. However, in the fifth inning the Hitmen scored two runs, sparking their offense, and they went on to score six runs in the last two innings of the game. Chiusano and senior Nick Gallo and junior Eddie Cytryn all had 2 hits in the game. Gallo also recorded an outstanding outing on the mound, pitching a one hit shutout.  In the bottom of the seventh inning, the bulldogs had runners on first and second.  With his shutout and one hitter on the line, Gallo delivered the pitch.  The Brandeis hitter scorched a line drive in between short and third that Chiusano dove and caught, ending the game and securing Gallo’s shutout and one hitter in dramatic fashion. Stuy is now 7-3 overall, and 1-0 in official league games.

Varsity Downs West 50th Street Campus Seahawks
The Hitmen recorded their second win on April 8th with a 12-0 massacre over West 50th street Campus High School.  In this game, the Hitmen’s offense started off strong, as they scored 6 runs in the first inning.  Senior Brandon Sirkisoon had a spectacular offensive game going 4-4 with 2 runs scored and one RBI.  The Hitmen received another strong outing from pitcher Jack Zurier, who also threw a one hit shutout over 5 innings.  Stuy is now 8-3 overall, and 2-0 in official league games.

Hitmen Mauled by Norman Thomas Tigers
In their toughest game of the season yet, the Hitmen came away with their first 6-3 loss against the defending PSAL champs the Norman Thomas Tigers. The Hitmen faced Thomas’s fireballing ace, and got two hits off him, a double ripped off the bat of Michael Block, and a blooper by Jakob Moran.  Sophomore Evan Lubin pitched extremely well, giving up only 3 earned runs against the heavy hitting Norman Thomas lineup.  The Hitmen kept the game close in large part to some key defensive plays, one on a cutoff to  home where sophomore Kyle Yee gunned a runner out, and a double play on a strike out by Lubin and a throw down to second by Moran.  The Hitmen scored all of their runs on a two out rally in the bottom of the fifth,  but were unable to come away with the upset. Stuy is now 8-4 overall, and 2-1 in official league games.

Hitmen Once Again Beat West 50th Street Campus Seahawks
The Hitmen improved to 3-1 on Thursday after beating West 50th Street Campus High School once again, this time by a score of 6-2.  The Seahawks actually struck first in this game, scoring one run off sophomore Kyle Yee. The Hitmen came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, though, with a sac fly off the bat of junior Scott Chiusano that scored senior Brandon Sirkisoon.  Yee settled down after the first inning, and went on to strike out seven in six innings.  The Hitmen got their offense going with the help of junior Eddie Cytryn who had two hits and two RBI’s and Yee who also had two hits.  Junior Sungmo An came into the game in the top of the seventh and recorded three quick outs for the save, securing the Hitmen’s third win of the regular season. Stuy is now 9-4 overall, and 3-1 in official league games.

Environmental Studies High School Edge Out Hitmen

In their fifth game of the season, the Hitmen lost a heartbreaker to Division rivals Environmental Studies in Central Park. Ace Nick Gallo had a tough outing on the mound, struggling to throw strikes, and though his offense provided him with a two run lead in the third on an RBI single by junior Scott Chiusano, Gallo gave the lead right back in the next inning. Except for the third inning, Environmental’s ace shut down the Hitmen, allowing only five hits, two from Chiusano, and two from junior Sungmo An. In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Evan Lubin came in to pitch. He gave up a hit and two walks to load the bases, and with one out Environmental Studies’ two hitter brought in the game winning run with a grounder through the right side. Stuy is now 9-5 overall, and 3-2 in official league games.

 
Hitmen Defeat Environmental Studies High School In Rematch
After their tough loss on Monday, the Hitmen needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Junior Jack Zurier took to the mound in this game, pitching another solid performance, giving up 2 earned runs on 7 hits and striking out two to lead the Hitmen to a 6-3 win. The Hitmen were helped by Environmental pitcher Juan Lamar’s control problems in the first inning, and they took advantage, scoring four runs in that inning. Zurier was also saved from a few jams by his defense. The Hitmen turned three double plays behind Zurier, one on a fly ball to centerfielder Nick Gallo who threw a runner out at home, and another on a groundball that sophomore Kyle Yee took by himself and threw the runner out at first. Another spectacular play was on a double play ball to Yee that he flipped to second baseman Eddie Cytryn, who was taken out by the runner coming into second. Environmental’s leadoff hitter tried to take home while Cytryn was on the ground, but Cytryn came up firing and gunned him  out on a one hopper to the plate. Stuy is now 10-5 overall, and 4-2 in official league games

George Washington High School Narrowly Defeats Hitmen
Against the best team in the city, perennial powerhouse George Washington, the Hitmen showed that they were truly a force to be reckoned with, losing another heartbreaker, 5-4. Although they were expected to lose this game, the Hitmen showed they could play with anyone in the league. Senior Mike Affuso took to the mound and had a rough first inning, walking the first two batters and giving up two runs on no hits. However, the Hitmen came back in the bottom half and proved their worth. Leadoff hitter Brandon Sirkisoon walked, stole second, and sophomore Kyle Yee moved him over with a slow roller to the shortstop. With a runner on third, junior Scott Chiusano hit an RBI triple to put the Hitmen within one. The Hitmen went on to score four runs in that inning, and went into the top half of the 2nd with a 4-2 lead. Affuso settled down with the lead, pitching one scoreless inning before giving up a 2-run homerun to major league prospect Mike Antonio. With the game tied at four in the fourth, the Trojans got a runner to third and scored him on a sac fly, giving them a one run lead. Sophomore Evan Lubin then went in to pitch two scoreless innings, preserving the one run lead. The Hitmen had their opportunities to take the lead, having second and third and one out in the bottom of the sixth, but they were unable to score. Still, the Hitmen showed heart against a much better, much stronger team, losing by only one run. Stuy is now 10-6 overall, and 4-3 in official league games.

Hitmen Win Tight Game Against Bayard-Rustin High School
The Hitmen narrowly defeated the Bayard Rustin Titans on April 28th by a score of 3-2. Senior ace Nick Gallo pitched a stellar game, allowing only three hits and one earned run. Sophomore Evan Lubin came in to close the game, allowing no hits and no runs and recording the save. The Hitmen’s offense was sluggish, but RBIs by juniors Jakob Moran and Lionel Jensen gave the Hitmen their fifth win nevertheless. Stuy is now 11-6 overall, and 5-3 in official league games.

Manhattan Center HS Comes Back In The 6th Inning to Defeat Hitmen
The Hitmen dropped a heartbreaker to the Rams on April 29th, 7-3. Junior Jack Zurier pitched solidly through 5 innings, and the Hitmen carried a 2-1 lead into the 6th inning. Howver, Zurier allowed two base runners and was pulled from the game and replaced by sophomore Evan Lubin, who allowed four runs. The Hitmen made a bid for a comeback in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff homerun by junior Alex David, but senior Brandon Sirkisoon ended the game with a hard line drive to the center fielder with the bases loaded. Stuy is now 11-7 overall, and 5-4 in official league games.

Hitmen Bedevil Graphic Arts High School
The Hitmen bounced back from their loss to Center, defeating Graphics HS 4-1. Junior Jack Zurier had his best pitching performance thus far, bringing a perfect game into the fifth inning. The Hitmen scored on RBI doubles by both junior Alex David and senior Nick Gallo. With Zurier allowing only one hit in a complete game effort, four runs were enough to put away the Devils. Stuy is now 12-7 overall, and 6-4 in official league games.

Graphic Arts Devils Mercied by Hitmen in 5 Innings Of Play
In their second game against the Devils, the Hitmen’s offense came to play, recording 11 hits in a 15-2 victory. Sophomore Evan Lubin had a rough first inning on the mound allowing two runs, but he settled in, shutting the Devils out the rest of the way. The Hitmen’s offense was led by juniors Lionel Jensen and Scott Chiusano who each had two hits. Senior Nick Gallo had four RBI’s in the Hitmen’s 7th win of the season. Stuy is now 13-7 overall, and 7-4 in official league games.

Frederick Douglas Academy Forfeits Due To Player Ineligibility
Stuy is now 14-7 overall, and 8-4 in official league games.

Beacon High School Out Shines Hitmen
In their first game against their division rivals, the Hitmen suffered a crushing 8-2 defeat. Senior Mike Affuso got his second start of the season on the mound, and allowed two runs in the first inning. The Hitmen were able to strike back, though, scoring two runs of their own and bringing a tie game into the top of the second. Yet in the top of the fourth, Affuso struggled to get his curveball over for strikes, and the Blue Demons scored two more runs. Junior Jack Zurier replaced Affuso, and shut the Blue Demons down for two innings, but the Hitmen’s offense never got going. Though they continued to get men on base, they were unable to get the big hit to get back into the game. Stuy is now 14-8 overall, and 8-5 in official league games.

Hitmen Heat Up Beacon Blue Devils
With three games left in the season, the Hitmen needed one win to clinch a playoff berth. With senior ace Nick Gallo on the mound, the Hitmen hoped to give their division rivals only their third loss of the season. Gallo was brilliant in by far his best outing of the season, turning away a formidable Beacon lineup inning after inning, only allowing three hits and zero earned runs in a complete game, 7-2 victory for the Hitmen. After being very quiet in the first game of the series, the Hitmen’s offense broke out against Beacon’s ace Kai Glick. In the top of the second, the Hitmen got two runners on with hit by pitches. Junior Eddie Cytryn laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line, and Beacon first baseman Justin Sims tried to throw the runner out at third, but misfired, and the Hitmen scored their first run. With first and third, senior Michael Block hit a single up the middle, tying the game at 2. Senior Nick Gallo brought in another run with an RBI single, giving the Hitmen the lead, but they were not done yet. With men on second and third, junior Scott Chiusano hit a two RBI double to give the Hitmen a comfortable 5-2 lead. The Hitmen never looked back. They tacked on one more run in the sixth and seventh inning, and Gallo kept his composure, putting up zero after zero. He was helped out by stellar defense led by slick fielding shortstop Kyle Yee, and an excellent play by senior Brandon Sirkisoon on a well hit line drive into left field. The Hitmen have finally clinched a playoff berth for the 14th season in a row. Stuy is now 15-8 overall, and 9-5 in official league games.

Murray Bergtraum Pulls Ahead In 7th Inning To Win Against Hitmen
Stuy is now 15-9 overall, and 9-6 in official league games.

Hitmen 'Mercy' Murray Bergtraum In Final Game of Regular Season
Stuy is now 16-9 overall, and 10-6 in official league games.

Hitmen Shut-Out HS of Telecommunication Arts & Technology In First Round Of Playoffs
Stuy is now 17-9 overall, and 11-6 in official league games.

Hitman Overpowered By Norman Thomas In Second Round Of Playoffs
Stuy is now 17-10 overall, and 11-7 in official league games.

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2010 JV Highlights:

JV Ties Washington Heights Wheels
The JV Hitmen took on the Washington Heights Wheels on Wednesday March 24 under clear skies at Pier 40.  The contest started out as a pitchers' duel with each pitcher recording three strikeouts in the first inning.  Nick Fasano performed this feat for the Hitmen.  The Wheels scored one run in top of the second inning with Stuyvesant answering in the bottom on a walk and two steals by Thomas Dorante followed by an RBI sacrifice by Quinn Hood.  Peter Ferguson threw two strong innings in the third and fourth, and the Hitmen scored two more runs: one on  Julian Michaels' sacrifice bringing in Nathaniel Biggs and the other on Michael Sheldon's single.  The Wheels caught up on a couple of Hitmen miscues in the top of the fifth inning, and the Stuyvesant batters could not answer in the bottom of that frame.  The game ended in a 3-3 tie, as the Greenwich Village Little Leaguers purloined our field.  The umpiring for the game was very capably handled by the teams' two coaches.
 
JV Hitmen Falter; Lose To West Orange Mountaineers
The Hitmen of the Stuyvesant Junior Varsity found themselves in West Orange, New Jersey on the afternoon of Saturday, March 27, 2010 squaring off against the West Orange High School Junior Varsity Mountaineers.  The skies were sunny, but the temperatures were chilly.  The Hitmen were sartorially resplendent in their new blue, white and red uniforms.  Peter Ferguson started the game as pitcher for Stuyvesant and pitched two innings allowing four runs.  The Hitmen fought their way back with one run in the first inning, courtesy of Quinn Hood's infield single.  The Hitmen scored twice again in the third inning on singles by Noah Hellerman and Adam Lieber.  The last run for Stuyvesant was accounted for single-handedly by Julian Michaels, courtesy of a triple followed by a passed ball.  Unfortunately, the Hitmen pitching faltered in the later innings, and the Mountaineers won the contest by a score of 10-4.  Standouts for the Hitmen included Julian Michaels, who had two hard hits, Leopold Spohngellert, who made a great catch of a deep fly ball in center field, and Quinn Hood, Thomas Dorante and Nathaniel Biggs, who together turned a terrific 1-6-3 double play in the final frame.

JV Hitmen overpower Francis Lewis Patriots 11-0
The JV Hitmen journeyed to Fresh Meadows on Sunday, April 11th to take on the Francis Lewis High School Patriots.  The weather was beautiful, and a good crowd was on hand to witness the contest.  It was a Utopian day for the Stuyvesant squad as they "mercied" Francis Lewis by a score of 11 to 0.  Hurler Peter Ferguson mystified and confounded the opposing hitters, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 5 Patriots.  All of the Hitmen contributed offensively.  Adam Lieber, 2-4, 2 runs scored; Chris Woo, 2-3, 3 runs scored; Erick Wong 3-4, 3 runs scored and Quinn Hood and Julian Michaels combined for 6 RBI.   The next game is this Tuesday, April 13th at the Parade Grounds against Midwood High School.

Hornets Sting Hitmen
The Hitmen squared off against the Midwood High School Hornets on Tuesday under leaden skies at the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn.  Noah Hellerman started at pitcher and after a rocky first inning during which he had a little trouble finding the strike zone, settled down.  However, fielding and throwing miscues by his teammates in the later innings kept Stuyvesant from getting back into the game.  Eventually the Hitman scored 3 runs, but it was too little, too late, and the final score was Midwood 10 and Stuy 3.  The standout for the Hitman was Adam O'Connor-Jamia, who hit the ball hard all three times he was up, including a run-scoring double in the bottom of the 5th inning.    

Knights Daze Hitmen
The JV Hitmen faced off against the Xavier High School Knights yesterday at Pier 40.  Things did not get off to an auspicious start as the opposition scored 11 runs in the top of the 1st inning on a combination of walks and poor fielding.  Erick Wong, Chris Woo and Thomas Dorante crossed the plate in the bottom of the inning for the Stuy squad, but both teams' pitching staffs settled down after that with the final score being 15-3.   The Hitmen hope to get back on track this weekend against South Bronx High School.

South Bronx High School Bombs JV Hitmen
The JV Hitmen journeyed to the South Bronx to take on the South Bronx H.S. Phoenix on Saturday.  Unfortunately, as has been the case in several recent games, the Stuy defense capitulated early and often, and their offense failed to ignite.  The final tally was 13-0 in favor of the South Bronx nine, and it can honestly be said that there were no highlights for the Hitmen. The next contest is Tuesday afternoon, April 20, against Fort Hamilton H.S. at the Parade Grounds. 

Hitmen Toothless Against Tigers
The Hitmen faced the Fort Hamilton High School Tigers at the Parade Grounds on Tuesday afternoon.  For 5 innings it was a closely contested game with George Kaiser pitching shutout baseball for Stuy, and the opposing pitcher responding in kind.  Unfortunately the wheels fell off for Stuy in the top of the 6th inning, again as the result of sloppy defensive play.  When the dust had settled, the score was 10-0 in favor of Fort Hamilton.  The next contest will be at Monsignor McClancy High School in Queens on Saturday.  The time has not yet been set. 

Crusaders Repel Hitmen
The Hitmen traveled to Monsignor McClancy High School in Queens on Saturday to face that school's JV Crusaders.   The action started early as Chris Woo singled and Erick Wong hit a towering home run over the right center field fence in the top of the first inning.  The McClancy nine answered with their own two runs against Stuy starter Peter Ferguson in the bottom of the first, but both pitchers settled down and the score stayed knotted until the fifth inning when the Hitmen were again plagued by some sloppy defensive plays that led to Crusader runs.  The final score was 6-2 in favor of McClancy.   The highlight for Stuy besides Wong's blast was the adroit defensive play of first baseman Nathaniel Biggs.

Hornets Swat Hitmen
The JV Hitmen faced the Midwood High School JV Hornets on Friday at the Parade Grounds and got off to a good start offensively and defensively only to fall prey midway through the contest to self-inflicted injury via their twin nemeses: walks and errors. The final score was 11-7 in favor of Midwood.

Hitmen Overpowered by Hitmen
On a beautiful Saturday at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, the JV Hitmen tested their mettle against their elder brethren, the varsity Hitmen.  Things did not start off well for the junior squad as the varsity scored 4 runs in the first inning.  Although the JV was able to bring 2 runs across the plate later in the game, it was not enough, and the varsity prevailed by a tally of 10-2.

Bombers Annihilate Hitmen
After a great lunch at the Pier 74 Restaurant, the Stuy JV Hitmen returned to the field to take on the New Hyde Park Memorial High School JV Bombers.  The New Hyde Park squad lived up to its name by scoring 14 runs against the Hitmen in a game that was appropriately ended after 5 innings under the "mercy rule."  The Hitmen were lethargic offensively and defensively, possibly as a result of the failure to adequately digest the feast that they had just consumed.  In any event, the final score of 14-0 does not bode well for the regular season, which begins this week.

Hitmen Exorcise Devils
The JV Hitmen finally began their regular season on Friday May 7 after a lengthy and often frustrating preseason.  But this time they brought their "A" game, and the High School of Graphic Communication Arts Devils were the unfortunate victims.  The Hitmen featured awesome hitting by just about everyone in the lineup, skill on the basepaths with Erick Wong, whose nickname should be "the Blur" because that's all the opposition ever saw, solid defense, with not one but two unusual double plays: a 5-1-5 number involving Nick Fasano and Adam Lieber and a 9-3 gem by Quinn Hood and the redoubtable Lieber again, and, finally, superb pitching by starter Peter Ferguson and reliever George Kaiser.  The final score was 17-4, and it is fair to say that the Stuy squad's play was heavenly!  The next game is against Beacon on Wednesday at Pier 40.

Beacon Dazzles Hitmen
The JV Hitmen went up against the Beacon High School JV Blue Demons on Wednesday at Pier 40.  The afternoon was wet and cold.  George Kaiser started for Stuy and did a nice job before being relieved by Erick Wong and then Peter Ferguson.  The Stuy hitters, particularly first baseman Michael Sheldon, were hitting the ball hard, but the Beacon fielders seemed always to be in the right place at the right time (for them, not for us).   In the end the Hitmen only scored one run on a walk and some smart baserunning by Quinn Hood.  The final score was 5-1 in favor of the Blue Demons. 

Hitmen Stumble to Utes
The JV Hitmen faced off against the New Utrecht High School JV Utes in lovely Dyker Heights on Saturday May 8. The morning quickly took a sour turn, however, as the Utes scored seemingly at will against some porous Stuy pitching and defense, and the final score was 10-4 in favor of New Utrecht. Standouts for the Hitmen were Erick Wong with 3 hits and George Kaiser with 2 hits.  Thomas Dorante provided some comic relief by colliding with not just one, but two, of his fellow Hitmen in a single play.  

Stuy Defangs Lions
The JV Hitmen took the field against the Chelsea High School Lions on Wednesday afternoon on the artificial turf of Pier 40. George Kaiser was on the mound and pitched a masterful shutout game. Many of the Hitmen runs were the result of miscues by the Chelsea defense, but not the two runs that crossed the plate as the result of Jordan Wallach's towering triple. The final score was Hitmen 10 and Chelsea 0. The lowlight of the game was the 10 strikeouts recorded by Stuy batters with fully half of them by way of reverse K's. The next game is Friday against Manhattan Center High School.

Hitmen Fleece Rams
The Stuyvesant JV Hitmen squared off against the Manhattan Center High School JV Rams on Friday at the East River Fields under bright blue skies.  Quinn Hood took the hill for his first start for the Hitmen. Stuy got off to a good start by scoring 7 runs in the first inning primarily on walks and poor fielding by the Rams. Erick "Flash" Wong had to leave early to perform for the school choir but not before he had gotten 3 hits in three plate appearances.  Hood ended up going all the way, and the final was 14-2 in favor of the Hitmen. Come on up to Washington Heights on Monday to see Stuy try to contain the George Washington High School Trojans.

Trojans Contain Hitmen
The Stuyvesant JV Hitmen hopped on the Number 1 train to travel to Washington Heights on Monday to face the George Washington High School JV Trojans.  The  Hitmen's ace Peter Ferguson started at pitcher and did well through four innings, but, as has often been the case in the past, defensive miscues gave the Trojans too many second chances, and they amassed an early lead.  The Stuy offense hit the ball hard -- Quinn Hood had two towering blasts to left field -- but the GW fielders were always in the right place.  George Kaiser did a good job in relief of Ferguson, but in the end, the Trojans were just too tough for the Hitmen.  The game ended fittingly with the GW shortstop making a leaping catch of a Kaiser shot to left side that had "hit" written all over it.   There is a game this afternoon against AP Randolph High School at Inwood.

Cougars Can't Seduce Hitmen
The Stuyvesant JV Hitmen traveled all the way up to Inwood Park on Tuesday to face the A.P. Randolph High School JV Cougars.  The weather could not have been more sublime. The Hitmen jumped out to an early lead with 3 runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back, coasting to at 12-2 victory.  Nick Fasano started for the Hitmen and pitched very well until he was struck in the cheek by a hard line drive that forced him to the sideline. He was replaced by the ever-reliable George Kaiser he went the rest of the way. The Hitmen offense was in high gear, led by Adam O'Connor-Jamia, who had a double and a triple.

Hitmen and Norman Thomas Tie
In a contest that featured two teams seemingly intent on losing, neither contestant could carry the day, and the Stuyvesant's JV Hitmen and the Norman Thomas High School JV Tigers ended up with a 15-15 tie at Central Park on Friday. The Hitmen started off with a bang scoring 4 runs in the first inning. The Tigers were able to answer against Stuy starter Erick Wong in the bottom of the first, and the game continued with Stuy amassing leads in its half of the inning only to see those leads evaporate when the Tigers came to the plate. Walked batters and defensive miscues again bedeviled the Hitmen.  In a finish that had everyone on the Stuy side shaking their heads, the Hitmen took a 5 run lead into the bottom of the final inning only to lose it by essentially allowing Norman Thomas six outs. Thanks to Coach Peterson for a splendid job of coaching, as always.