Show of support
Opposing teams rally around Westhill players ruled ineligible to play
Rallying around two high school players from the Dominican Republic who are ineligible to play baseball due to CIAC eligibility rules, a pair of opponents showed support to the Westhill-Stamford team at games and over social media.
Last week, both Bridgeport Central and Hamden posed for group photos alongside the Westhill team with the hashtag #letthemplay posted on various social media platforms.
Westhill coach Mike Riveles
said teams began reaching out to him when the original story was published on players Noel Santana and Geuris Arias Carmona not being able to play.
“The amount of support we have received has been overwhelming. I’ve been blown away by the amount of support I’ve received from other coaches,” Riveles said. “I’ve received text messages from coaches of teams we play and some we don’t asking what they can do to help or at least letting me know they support the opportunity for Noel and Geuris.”
Riveles said he immediately received support from coaches on social media and via text messages.
“The recent videos we’ve received and requests for pictures from Coach (Joe) Pagan and Coach (Mike) Dwyer feels amazing. It’s great to show these boys that they are supported by many when throughout this process they had both said to me multiple times that people who should care about them do not.”
Noel Santana, 18, is ineligible under the CIAC’s eight-semester rule which prohibits students who have attended high school for eight semesters to participate in athletics. He appealed for a hardship exemption last week saying he never played sports at his school and faced other burdens.
His appeal was denied but Westhill’s principal has the option to appeal one more time to the CIAC Eligibility Review Board which is made up of nine principals, one superintendent and one athletic director from around the state.
“It feels very good that the other teams are showing their support,” Santana said in a translated text. “It is something that makes me feel good because they are interested in me playing even though they’re the opposing teams. It is something that feels very good and I’m grateful.”
After playing Central, Pagan asked if the teams could get together for a photo as a show of support. Riveles said the gesture meant a lot to him and the players.
Bridgeport Central has five Dominican-born players on its roster and felt a connection to the Westhill players.
“It was super important for me to show support to
bother me, I just go out there and pitch like I’m supposed to.”
It was the fifth-straight win for Westhill (7-4), which began the season 2-4.
For Staples (7-2), the loss snapped its six-game winning streak. It happened in uncharacteristic fashion with the Wreckers committing five errors after having committed just one all season.
“That’s baseball,” Staples coach Jack McFarland said. “I don’t know what the story was today. Our pitchers pitched great and gave up, like, one or two earned runs. At least it was a close game.”
Of the five runs given up by Staples, only two were earned.
Westhill broke the 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly to right field by Kieran Hackett, scoring Jake Safir.
Junior Niko Christon came on in relief of Kipp. He threw two innings, struck out four and earned the win.
“It wasn’t our best on defense,” Westhill coach Mike Riveles said. “But we got a lot of two-strike hits and pitchers didn’t let the errors get to them and made big pitches when they needed to.”
Both teams scored in the first inning. Westhill got one run in every inning except the fifth while Staples got two in third and one in the fifth.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kyle Kipp, Westhill: Kipp kept the Vikings in the game and only walked two batters against his 10 strikeouts.
QUOTABLE
“Kyle is, sadly, getting used to not getting the best defense when he pitches. We expect him to strikeout everyone and maybe sometimes we fall asleep and you are not ready when the ball gets to you. A lot of pitchers would have lost it there and Kyle just tucks it away and does his job and throws strikes.” — Westhill coach Mike Riveles
WESTHILL 5, STAPLES 4
STAPLES ................................................................................... 102 010 0—4 3 5 WESTHILL ...................................................................................... 111 101 X—5 6 5 Batteries: S—Chris Zajac, Andrew Oppenheimer (3), Kai Nee (L, 5) and Max Jossen. W—Kyle Kipp, Niko Christon (W, 6) and Lance Alswanger-Busch