While the defense, with strong infielders such as second baseman Ryan Keenan, shortstop Frankie Anemone and third baseman Michael Arvanites have been sure-handed, and outfielders such as Santino Russo in left, Dante Placenti in center and Adam Sepe have consistently run down all the balls hit their way and catcher Chris Carollo has been solid,  the Caldwell lineup has also been superb, including with leadoff man Russo (2-for-3 with a walk and a run while reaching base in all four at bats) and No. 2 hitter Placenti (3-for-4 with a run) helping to set the table, and others such as No. 3 hitter Carollo and cleanup man Arvanites each delivering RBI doubles, and No. 6 and No. 7 hitters Vin Brown and Richie Musser producing two hits apiece plus RBI hits, the Chiefs had plenty of offense with their 13-hit attack.  

“Last year our hitting was more inconsistent,” said Placenti. “This year we’re capitalizing a lot better while producing with people on base and in scoring position.

“Our lineup is a deep one, our defense is strong, I’m definitely confident in our pitchers and I trust them in big spots which is a great place to be as we look ahead to the GNT while continuing to look to pick up more wins in the conference.”

Caldwell is 7-1 in the SEC-Liberty Division with the only setback coming to Verona. The Chiefs have also picked up a pair of wins vs. SEC-American Division teams with early-season triumphs vs. Columbia and now Livingston.

“Our hitting has been strong and I love our defense which allows our pitchers to throw strikes working to contact,” said Smith. “For Dan it’s been a strong April and he’s used to pitching in big moments since his freshman year, he’s calm under pressure, we have all the confidence in him, and he trusts his guys.

“He’s becoming a more dynamic pitcher and not just with his fast ball. He can throw his off-speed pitches for strikes and is able to throw multiple pitches in multiple counts to keep batters off balance while executing what we want him to do.

“Isaac Stern has also been great on the bump and Vinny Brown has given us some strong innings as well.

“We like our pitching staff to continue to help set the tone and we have a talented group of guys all over the field who buy into what we’re trying to do which continues to be a good recipe for success!”

NOTES- Vybihal walked 4 and struck out 10 while throwing 107 pitches while notching his no-hitter rin a 3-0 win at Verona on Monday, April 20...An oustanding student with a strong interest in mechanical engineering, the standout junior pitcher will be attending a camp at Dartmouth which has shown interest in the Chiefs hurler...His dad Martin Vybihal was a Division I golfer at the University of Maryland and his mom Kathleen played Division III women's college basketball...Older sisters Charlotte and Morgan have strong interests in theater production with Morgan currently part of an Off-Broadway production...Caldwell coach Smith actually took over the reins of the Chiefs diamond program during the 2020 covid summer Last Dance tournament before assuming the head high school position in the 2021 campaign...former Caldwell Chiefs Nick Bergamotto (Siena University) and Ty Fredo (Mt. St. Mary's of Maryland) are enjoying outstanding college seasons. Bergamotto, a senior infielder, entered recent action red-hot while raining his average to .347 with 25 runs scored for the15-24 Saints, while Fredo, a junior infielder, was hitting .328 for the 18-24 Mountaineers.

LIVINGSTON (5-7)    000   00    -0 R 3 H 5 E
CALDWELL (13-1)     004  06  -10 R 14 H 0 E
2B- Livingston- Cole Shapiro Caldwell- Chris Carollo, Michael Arvanites
WP- Dan Vybihal (4-0)  LP- Jake Bonardi                         

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