TKR Reds 2 third baseman Stephen Doty supplied the glove and went 3-for-4 at the plate. 

By Sean Reilly 

Stephen Doty wasn’t satisfied with the way he was swinging the bat this week at Diamond Nation.

So with one game left to play on Thursday night, the third baseman from the TKR Reds 2 decided to do something about it. 

“My week’s been slow and my swing has felt off,” the rising senior at Tottenville High School on Staten Island said. “I went and looked at old videos of swings and I spent an hour and a half in the cage today before I came here.”

Doty’s extra work paid off in a big way, as he went 3-for-4 out of the leadoff slot in boosting his team to a 4-1 victory over the Nor’easters 17U Runbird National at the Super 17 Invitational in Flemington. 

Doty’s hits factored into three of the runs for the Reds, who completed the week with a 1-2-1 record. 

“We were in the games, but were making a few errors here and there,” he said. 

This game was different, beginning with the Reds taking a 1-0 lead in the third. With runners on first and second and one out, Doty dropped a bunt single along the third base side to load the bases. After the next batter struck out, J.C. LaQuava was hit by a pitch to score Blake Benafante. 

In the fifth inning, Benafante walked with one out and moved to second on a ground out. Doty then delivered an RBI single to left field. 

The Reds, who dropped several bunts down during the game, used their short game to produce another run in the top of the sixth. 

The frame began with walks to Rob Buscemi and Tom Afflak, and they were sacrificed into scoring position by John Santomossino. Gabe Basile was then retired on a successful squeeze bunt that scored Buscemi for a 3-0 lead.

The Massachusetts-based Nor’easters (1-2-1) scored in the sixth. Joshua Florence led off with a single, moved to second on a ground out and then scored on a pinch-hit double by Jeremy Aylward. 

The Reds got that run back in the seventh. Malcolm Edgar was hit by a pitch with one out and Doty followed with a double. Danny Scullion then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Edgar. 

Doty was the only multiple-hit player in the game. 

“Tonight I think I figured it out,” he said. “I was playing more confidently. It was good to see a win.” 

The Reds pitchers – Anthony Catalano, Tim Welsh and Joe Locascio – combined on a two-hitter.

“We had good pitching, with no errors and threw strikes,” Doty said. “That’s how you win.”