The Highland Huskies made the plays, and the Our Lady of Lourdes Warriors didn’t.

An error by Our Lady Lourdes left fielder Evan Dittenhoefer led to a five-run fourth inning, as the Huskies defeated the Warriors, 11-5 on April 30 in a non-league baseball game at Heritage Financial Park in Fishkill.

“The beginning of the game was a little rough for us,” said Highland left fielder Connor Gemmel, who drove in four runs for the Huskies. “We managed to put some hits together and walks added up for us. It definitely helped us in the long run.”

Gemmell may have had the cleanest RBIs of the game. With the Huskies trailing, 2-0 and two out in the top of the second inning, he blasted a bases-loaded double to the wall in the left field, giving Highland a 3-2 lead, their first of the day.

“That definitely helped us a lot,” Gemmel said. “Putting us ahead like that gave our pitches some cushion working with our catcher. We did a great job to capitalize after that.”

Gemmel drove in his fourth run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

“Connor Gemmel has been able to get in situations this year where he’s very calm in a clutch spot, and he’s done that a couple of times,” Highland coach John Manganiello said. “He did it again tonight. It put us ahead and it gave us the confidence.”

After the Warriors tied the game in the second inning on an RBI single by Jaysean Ayala, the Huskies took advantage of some shoddy defense to break a 4-4 tie.

With two men on Leland Dubois hit a catchable fly ball to Dittenhoefer, who dropped the ball, allowing James Gescheidle and Bradley Gatto to score. Then it all started going wrong for the Warriors as Dubois stole third base and scored on a passed ball.

Logan Ellison walked with the bases empty and A.J. Grant singled, setting up a Connor Elliot’s two-run double, giving the Huskies a 9-4 lead.

“Errors happen,” Gemmell said. “It’s baseball at the end of the day. We definitely managed to work with what they gave us.”

The Huskies were able to outhit early trouble on the mound.

The Warriors got to starting pitcher Hunter Tomlin for four runs in two innings.

They hit him hard as Dylan Conte led off the game with a single and a Anjre Folster walked. Then Sean Cleary roped a single to left field for the game’s first run. Folster came around on a passed ball.

After the Huskies took a 4-3 lead in the third, the Warriors tied it again on Folster’s infield single.

Logan Howard gave up a run on Folster’s RBI groundout.
Dubois finished the game with 2 1/3 scoreless innings and two strikeouts.

“Leland is a great pitcher,” Gemmel said. “He’s been able to relieve a lot of games for us this year, and he’s been doing what every team needs a pitcher to do.”

The Huskies are sitting in second place in the Mid Hudson Athletic League Division III with an 8-3 record and a 4-2 mark in the division, their only losses coming to unbeaten Spackenkill.

They opened the week on April 29 with a 12-2 win over Dover and finished their league season with 14-2, five-inning win over the Webutuck Warriors. Gemmel threw five innings with six strikeouts and had two hits and three RBIs.
They finished the week with a non-league, 3-2, loss to the FDR Presidents.

“I feel like we’re heading where we want to be,” Manganiello said. “I think I’ve been telling these guys over the next couple of weeks, we want to continue building and get better and work on things for when we get into the playoffs. Spackenkill is very good, and we’ve got to continue to get better to that point where we have a shot.”