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Sports

Dayton Baseball Defeats St. Patrick

The final score was 16-6.

Dayton head baseball coach Mike Abbate preaches the importance of senior leadership. And it was on full display in a 16-6 rout of St. Patrick in the preliminary round of the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Tournament [UCIAC].

Led by senior second baseman Elliot Karp, Dayton [4-8] jumped to an 8-1 lead after four innings and used another seven-run burst in the bottom of the fifth to close out the 19th-seeded Celtics.

Karp committed an error in the top of the first inning, leading to an early St. Pat's run, but more than atoned for it with a two-run inside-the-park homer in the second. Karp went 3-for-4, including a double and triple, with five RBI, and two runs.

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He was grinning ear-to-ear knowing he made reparation.

"We take a lot of pride in our defense—myself included—so to make an error like that in the first inning hurt," he acknowledged. "I kind of put my head down but coach picked me up and we got some big hits."

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Dayton's early pitching beget the big hits as Tommy Losito cruised the first four innings. The sophomore hurler didn't allow an earned run until the fifth, when he ran into trouble and gave way to Matt Roland. But prior to tiring, Losito put forth an effort that belied his youth.

"He's a great pitcher who throws strikes," praised Karp. "And for a sophomore he has a lot of potential and keeps us in the games. We expect a lot of him."

Losito gave all he had before exhausting in the fifth and finished with a solid line of five hits on five runs—three earned—and a game-high seven strikeouts.

Abbate was prouder of Losito's grit and composure than his box score.

"He throws strikes and as a sophomore you can't ask for anything more," said Abbate. "His potential, because he throws strikes, is awesome. But what we've worked on most is demeanor. When errors happened behind him he didn't get frazzled and I'm proud of him for that."

The first-year head coach was just as quick to praise all his Bulldogs because he sees the daily progress and big picture.

"There is a work ethic here and when times get tough you need seniors more than anything," Abbate said, referencing last season's two-win campaign as a measuring stick. "Last year [when adversity hit] guys maybe didn't come [everyday to practice]. But this year guys lead. These guys deserve some success but it won't just happen by stepping on the field. We have to make it happen."

Alex Popolani was another senior who made it happen, as the first baseman went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run. He also added two stolen bases for good measure.

Popolani, who is battling a troublesome shoulder, pushed the team mantra to the fullest, deflecting any personal praise.

"We had to go out with a better approach at the plate," Popolani said when asked of the mid-game hitting dry spell. "We went cold for a little bit. But bats woke up and we got back on our feet…we attacked the baseball and didn't just sit back and wait for someone else to do it. We're proud that everyday we go hard."

Popolani was effusive of his praise for Losito, who seems to be making a habit of stellar pitching performances.

"He threw great and is throwing well lately," said Popolani. "We come to expect this now from him. We're not surprised anymore."

Karp agreed and said when his team buckles down—and staves off overconfidence—they can beat anyone.

"We can't relax and have to get what we want," he said, adding that Abbate had to re-light the fire mid-game. "Sometimes we think we're a little better than we are but when [coach] says 'snap back into it' we listen."

The 14th-seeded Bulldogs figure they won't need to snap back into it when they face 3rd-seeded Cranford, Saturday, because they're well aware what they have in front of them.

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