Baseball Wins League Opener

One down and 14 to go. That’s how the Palisades High varsity baseball team chose to look at Monday afternoon’s 3-2 victory over University at George Robert Field. It won’t go down in the books as one of the Dolphins’ prettier wins, but it got them off to a winning start in defense of their Western League title. Palisades (5-4 overall, 1-0 in league) finished 14-1 in league play last season and to duplicate that feat or even go undefeated, coaches and players alike know they will need to find ways to win as they did against the Wildcats. ‘We were one hit away from blowing it open,’ Pali co-coach Tom Seyler said. ‘We just couldn’t seem to capitalize on our chances early in the game. But I was happy to see these kids battle the way they did.’ Senior right-hander David Bromberg struggled with his control in the middle innings but pitched effectively out of jams in the third, fourth and fifth innings to keep his team ahead. Throwing his vaunted 90 miles-per-hour fastball, Bromberg struck out the side in the first inning and again in the fifth. ‘This was our first league game, so I looked at this as a must-win situation,’ said Bromberg, who threw his first career no-hitter at Taft on March 15. ‘I felt my changeup and slider were working pretty well and my fastball came through when I needed it to. But it also helps to know I’ve got great defense behind me.’ Pali short stop Dylan Cohen went three-for-three at the plate, including the game-winning hit in the sixth inning that gave Palisades a 3-1 lead. He walked to load the bases in the fourth inning but was stranded when Bromberg popped out to first base. ‘When we play close games, I want to get up so I can get a hit,’ said Cohen, who raised his season average to .592. ‘I’m glad I was able to come through today. We played a good, competitive team.’ University took a 1-0 lead in the top of third on a stand-up double to center field, but Pali answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Monte Doebel-Hickock was hit by a pitch with one out, Cohen followed with a single and took second base on a throwing error, and both scored when Andy Megee’s potential double-play ball was bobbled by the first baseman. Despite the win, Pali stranded eight runners in the first four innings’an area the team will need to improve in if it hopes to repeat as league champion. ‘David struggled at times but he was able to come through with strikeouts when it was crunch time,’ Seyler said. ‘And our fielders did a nice job today, making the plays when they needed to make them. There are a lot of positives we can take from this game.’ Palisades plays University again today at 3 p.m., this time on the Wildcats’ home field. Softball If the Dolphins were looking for a close, competitive game to prepare them for today’s Western League opener at Venice, Monday afternoon’s extra-inning thriller against Cleveland at Stadium by the Sea provided the ideal scenario. Similar to its last game, when it rallied from a four-run deficit in the sixth inning to beat Roosevelt, Palisades fell behind 9-4 but rallied for six runs in the sixth inning to take a 10-9 lead. This time, however, there would be no happy ending. Cleveland tied the game in the top of the seventh, then took a 13-10 lead on a bases-loaded double in the ninth inning. The Dolphins got a run back on Angela Neal’s RBI single but lost, 13-11, and dropped to 3-6.