Cruz brothers homer to lift Division

For the first time since their days playing youth league baseball, the Cruz brothers were in perfect long-ball harmony. They had hit home runs in the same game as kids, but never as teenagers. They picked a good time to get their act together.

Mike, a senior batting cleanup, broke a tie with an opposite-field solo blast over the rightfield fence in the fifth inning yesterday. Then John, a junior batting leadoff, pulled a drive over the same fence with two on in the sixth as Division cruised past host Plainedge, 6-3.

Division is 10-6 and Plainedge dropped to 9-7 in the battle for third place in tough Nassau Conference A-1.

"It feels really good. I root for him and he roots for me," said Mike, whose fifth homer of the season was a soaring fly ball that got up in the jet stream. "I've been in a little slump. Today I let the ball travel and waited . I have to trust my hands. When I'm going good, my power is to center and right."

Mike had popped up and struck out in his previous two at-bats, stranding three runners. "I'm glad I got my swing back and helped us win a game," the third baseman said.

John, who leads the Blue Dragons in batting average, already had singled and scored during a two-run third inning that erased the Red Devils' two-spot in the first. When he came up after singles by Brian Trumpy and Greg Minz sandwiched around a groundout, he had an idea what to look for.

"I've been struggling with the inside pitch and I worked on it all week," the centerfielder said. "I was looking for it with two strikes. I just turned on a fastball in and drove the ball. I won't lie; I surprised myself with that one."

SEE PHOTOSDivision 6, Plainedge 3

The distance and suddenness of John Cruz's first varsity home run also stunned his brother - momentarily.

"I was so excited when I saw the ball get out of there that at first I didn't know who hit it," Mike Cruz said. "Then I realized it was John.

"Good for him! And it helped us win a big game."

The Cruz connection helped starter Mike Rostenberg, who overcame a shaky first inning in which he walked three and allowed two runs, earn the victory. He allowed only three hits before reliever Matt Santorufo rescued him in the sixth, coming up with two big strikeouts to leave the bases loaded.