La Salle off to hot 5-1 start
Cadets crush Schenectady, 9-2
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. >> La Salle has only had one official practice all season. But if you watch them play, you wouldn’t know that fact.
The Cadets cruised to a 5-1 start with a 9-2 win over Schenectady on a sunny Saturday afternoon. They took advantage of a host of sloppy Patriots pitching and defense to secure the matinee win.
“The early games are a way to find out where you stand as an individual player and where you stand as a team,” head coach Jesse Braverman said. “You try to identify things that need to be worked on. So when you do finally get that practice, you’re do-
ing the right things to help them.”
Last season, the Cadets lost in the section playoffs despite a 16- 4 record, but La Salle is a always a strong program under Braverman. The start of the 2017 season is proving this year will be no exception to that.
The Cadets scored three runs in the second, fifth and seventh innings. They benefitted from nine Sche- nectady walks and there errors to post the easy win. Dermot McDonough led the way with two RBIs for LSI.
“Certainly the first goal of any baseball team is not to beat themselves,” Braverman said. “If the other team does give you an opportunity, you have take advantage of it. Those opportunities are rare.”
Next up for the Cadets is a rivalry matchup with Lansingburgh on Monday. The two Troy-area schools pose as a measuring stick for the other — a chance to see where each team is at an early juncture of the year.
Braverman said the goal right now is to just establish his team — basically meaning that he know where he can play guys, who leads the depth charts, who he can rely on. Saturday just continued on a hot start for his team.
“I feel good about this game,” Braverman said. “This was a good game for us. We’ve had a four-game week. We’re heading into a very, very difficult stretch now.”