Kory VanZandt can admit now that, a month ago, he wouldn’t have even allowed himself to imagine his team possibly contending for a championship. It wouldn’t have seemed realistic then.
Not after the Franklin D. Roosevelt baseball team, three years removed from a playoff appearance, opened this season losing six of its first nine games — five of which were lopsided.
That start was especially disappointing because more had been expected. This was the group that endured the rebuild while quietly improving and, with almost its entire core returning, this was the season their progress would manifest.
“That wasn’t what anyone had in mind for us,” said VanZandt, the head coach. “It was very concerning for the players and the coaching staff.”
Was. Past tense.
Because the Presidents have since turned their season, climbed from that nadir and now are within reasonable reach of fulfilling what they’ve believed was their potential.
Roosevelt extended its win streak to seven games, rallying to beat seventh-seeded Minisink Valley, 7-6, on Monday in a Section 9 Class AA quarterfinal.
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“It’s a credit to these guys persevering,” VanZandt said of the comeback, which is a microcosm of their season. “Even during the struggles, we maintained a positive attitude and kept working on the little things, hoping it would all eventually click.”
It clicked enough to earn them the No. 2 seed and that resiliency showed itself again as the Presidents advanced to the semifinals. They’ll host third-seeded Valley Central at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Roosevelt scored three runs in the fifth to create the margin. Brennan Paul’s RBI single pulled them within one, and the tying and go-ahead runs later scored on a two-out error with the bases loaded. Braydon VanDeWater struck out three in two scoreless innings to earn the save.
“This is the kind of game we’d have probably lost last year,” the coach said. “But they’ve been able to find ways to win, and it’s a different guy stepping up in just about every game.”
The Presidents (10-6) capitalized on five Minisink errors and initially went up 3-0 before the Warriors charged back. VanDeWater and Aidan Hartwell each had two hits and Sam O’Shea’s RBI fielder’s choice cut the deficit to 6-4 in the fourth inning.
Brice Rider allowed five earned runs and struck out eight in five innings. The right-hander didn’t have his best stuff and struggled at times but, VanZandt said, “he got out of some jams and grinded through those innings to keep us in the game.”
Quinten Morgan had two hits, including a two-run double, and Dylan Williams hit a two-run single for Minisink (9-9). Tyler Acevedo doubled twice.
Roosevelt’s turnaround began with what might’ve been a season-saving win on April 27. Reeling after a blowout loss to Beacon earlier in the Spring Bash tournament, the Presidents regrouped and Owen Brink’s walkoff single delivered them a thrilling 5-4 win over Chester.
“That was pivotal,” VanZandt said. “If we had lost that one, our season would’ve probably been over.”
Instead, the victory ignited them, and the wave built with a 10-inning win in their next game. This, while Hartwell began to emerge as an ace. The win earlier this month over defending section champ Wallkill was proof to them that it wasn’t a fluke.
“After being out of sectionals the last two years, this is huge for us,” VanZandt said of reaching the semifinals. “To fight back after the start we had and be in this position is exciting. I couldn't be more proud of these guys.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
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