Eric Hassell
Santiago, Adelphi Down New Haven 8-5
When TJ Santiago is on the hill, the Adelphi Panthers are a tough team to beat. The Panthers’ ace fired 5.2 IP, allowing zero earned runs with five strike outs in Adelphi’s 8-5 win over NE-10 rival New Haven. “Fastball and splitter were the duo today,” said the Linden, N.J. native. The Panthers offense got off to a quick start against Vincent Aprea (Comsewogue ’13) with a three-spot in the first inning. Eric Hassell ripped an RBI single to drive in Rob Vani. After the Panthers got an unearned run across the plate, Brett Malm drove in Brandon Morse with an RBI single. Santiago was very sharp out of the gate, allowing only one hit through four innings. In the bottom of the fourth, the Panthers broke through with four more runs. Kory Cassara smacked an opposite f...
Insider Notes: February 28
Through out the season, I will be posting my observations from the games I attend from a scout’s perspective. It will not always feature positive reviews, but they will be what I gather from my years of watching the game. Here’s a rundown of a few of the top players in yesterday’s game: TJ Santiago: It was the first time I’ve watched him in-person. He was every bit of the hype. He has a 3/4 delivery but is no gimmick. Velocity was 87-89, his splitter is a true weapon at 82 MPH and his slider was 77 MPH. He sustained his velocity through 7 innings–which is even more impressive that it’s his first outing of the season and it was February 28. Santiago also showed a lot of fire. There was a lot of intensity after his big strike outs. The one downside was tha...
T.J. Santiago Dominates in Adelphi’s 5-2 Win on Opening Day
More than one player referred to Opening Day as a holiday during pregame warmups. Adelphi’s starting pitcher, TJ Santiago, had the energy of a kid on Christmas morning but his splitter acted more like the Grinch. The senior RHP was lights out (7 IP, 9 K, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB) in Adelphi’s 5-2 win over perennial powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. It was a tremendous match up between a member of our 2016 All-Long Island team and Frankie Moscatiello (Rocky Point ’14), who hit 92-MPH with his first pitch of the game. Both pitchers have a chance to get drafted this year. “I was able to use all my pitches in various counts,” said the Panthers’ ace. “First game of the year is always a little more special,” he added. The offense got off to a slow start, but in...
Adelphi Right on the Verge of Deep Playoff Run
Last Year’s Record: 25-22 Key Roster Losses: Jonathon Mulford (RHP), Alex Zykoff (OF) Key Roster Additions: Tyler Becker (SS/3B), Tom Macri (INF) Andrew Sesto (RHP), Troy Simpson (RHP) Key Returning Players: TJ Santiago (RHP, senior), Robert Vani (1B, senior), Eric Hassell (OF, senior), Matthew O’Connor (LHP, redshirt junior), Kory Cassara (C, senior), Brett Malm (SS, sophomore), Ed Baram (RHP, sophmore), Mike Demarest (RHP, sophomore), Michael Tarpey (RHP, junior), Mike Stack (SS, senior) Coming off of a first-round exit in the 2016 NE-10 Conference tournament, Adelphi is entering the season with a chip on their shoulder. Luckily for the Panthers, they have a ton of talent to help guide the way for a successful 2017 season. Strengths As we all know, the heart of every team be...
Mulford Improves to 4-0
Photo Credit: Vinny Messana The Adelphi Panthers might as well call it ‘win day’ when Jonathon Mulford takes the hill. He threw another 7.2 dominant innings today against New Haven in their 7-3 win to improve to 4-0 on the season. When anyone else takes the hill the Panthers are 6-11.The offense got going in the first inning on a two-run double by the resurgent Donato Signore. That was followed up by Alex Zykoff‘s RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0.The Panthers opened up the game in the next inning on a three-run home run by senior Nick ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Zito. Eric Hassell‘s RBI double extended the lead to 7-0.That was plenty for the Panther’s ace. He allowed five hits, walked three and struck out seven.Ricky Van Allen and Mike Cranston ...
Adelphi Closes Out Florida Trip With Comeback Victory
Photo Credit: Adelphi Athletics Sometimes a win can represent more than just a single W in the standings. For a team that had lost five games in a row, a five-run comeback can mean turning a season around.The Panthers had ace Jonathon Mulford on the hill, but he was pulled with two outs in the third inning in favor of TJ Santiago with the Panthers trailing. The lead ended up getting extended to 6-0 when the Owls added two runs in the sixth inning.Freshman Kory Cassara got the Panthers on the board with his first career HR–a two-run shot to left field. They inched closer when Eric Hassell reached on an error by the 3b that scored their third run of the inning. The big blow came on a two-run double by Alex Zykoff to tie the game at 5.Ricky Van Allen came on relief in the seventh inning...
