PSAL BASEBALL
Luis Rosario felt pretty confident when he left last year’s PSAL title game, leading Tottenville 6-2.
“I thought we were in good shape,” the Monroe senior said. “I thought we had the game pretty much in hand.”
But Tottenville rallied to win the game, 8-7, and Rosario hasn’t fully recovered.
“We got most of it out of our system as soon as we started playing this year,” Rosario said. “But some of it will be there until we win.”
And Rosario is confident that the top-seeded Eagles will complete their season tonight in the title game at Shea Stadium, when they face No. 2 George Washington. “We’re going to be very comfortable,” said Rosario, who will play third base. “We know what it’s like to be there.”
Monroe has reached the championship in each of the past five years and won twice. No one knows more than Rosario what it’s like to play on the big stage, having been there in all four of his seasons in The Bronx.
“It’s amazing,” Rosario said. “I’m proud of that. Every day people say to me how lucky I am to be there once and I’ve been there so many times.”
Rosario took it upon himself this season to explain to some of his teammates what the atmosphere is like and how to handle the pressure.
“We had almost an entirely new team so they had only heard the rumors about what happens there,” Rosario said. “I tried to get them prepared.”
He thinks that he has. The Eagles have steamrolled nearly all of their opponents throughout the season and the playoffs. Rosario sees no reason for that to change.
“We’re playing with a lot more confidence now than we were last year,” Rosario said. “We have a great chance of winning. I want to get one more ring.”