Danny Kastin's Two Home Runs Send Ardsley To Win

VALHALLA, N.Y. – Danny Kastin set on Sunday the tone for Ardsley on the second pitch of the game.

Kastin drilled a solo home run to left field. It was the beginning of an offensive eruption as Ardsley defeated Sherman Park, 19-8 in a winner’s bracket semifinal of the District 20 Little League Baseball Majors’ Championship, Sunday, at Pat Henry Field.

Ardsley will meet Eastchester in the winner’s bracket final Thursday at 5:45 p.m., at O’Rourke Field. Sherman Park plays Rye in a loser’s bracket game, Monday, 8 p.m. at Gedney Field in White Plains. The loser of this game is eliminated.

Kastin finished four-for-five, including a three-run homer in his fourth at-bat. Ardsley amassed 22 hits in five innings as the game was stopped because of the mercy rule.

Winning pitcher Michael Saul, who allowed two runs and struck out five in four innings, and Ryan O’Connell each had three hits, two RBI and three runs scored. Yuhan Bae and Julian McGarvey doubled, singled and had two RBI apiece. Ricky Chenard singled twice and knocked in two runs.

“We came in swinging the bats hard, wanting to get hits,” said Kastin, 13, an eighth-grader-to-be at Ardsley Middle School. “Hitting two lead-off home runs is pretty cool.” 

It was the second consecutive tournament game Kastin led off with a home run. Kastin said his home run, against Dobbs Ferry in the previous game, was his first ever.

Kastin, who faced one batter in the fifth to close out the game, pointed out that Ardsley was taking batting practice prior to infield.

“We all had five swings each and we were all hitting the ball pretty good,” Kastin said. Ardsley is now looking forward to the winner’s bracket final with Eastchester.

Matt Marcella had a two-run single for Sherman Park. Michael Theriault singled and drove in two runs, Steven Buglione had two hits and scored a run and Joey Ruggiero singled in a run.

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