Jaxson Torres' gem helps (18-0) Plainedge secure Conference A-II title
Jaxson Torres of Plainedge throws to the plate during a Nassau baseball game against Wheatley on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Plainedge. Credit: Dawn McCormick
It’s hard to lose when you don’t allow any runs.
On Monday evening in North Massapequa, Plainedge baseball retained its undefeated status against visiting Wheatley, as it won 8-0 to secure the Nassau Conference A-II championship. A dominant start by pitcher Jaxson Torres helped the Red Devils stay perfect in what has been one of the greatest years in program history.
Plainedge (18-0) is allowing just 1.56 runs per game after Torres’ start on Monday, in which he pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out eight on 78 pitches. Torres has been crucial in the team’s run prevention, as he has allowed just one earned run in 27 innings.
“It’s second nature to us,” Torres said of his pitching staff after the game. “We’ve all been playing ever since we were little, and we’ve always been competitive. I think it’s a mixture of all three: talent, mindset and game plan.”
Torres was nasty from the jump, as he induced plenty of ugly swings. Three of his eight strikeouts came on breaking balls in the dirt, forcing catcher Jayden Gaghan and first baseman Bobby Wescott to complete the putouts on Torres’ whiffs.
“I felt accurate, my catcher was framing perfectly and I’ve got fielders behind me that I know will make the plays,” Torres said after the game. “It just all worked out. I had a good day, but I can definitely do better. I’m just looking forward to what comes next.”
Of course, having a great offense doesn’t hurt, either. Plainedge is now averaging 11.44 runs per game and boasts a +178 run differential.
Wescott has been a big part of that, and he continued to be against Wheatley (15-2-1). He went 2-for-3 with a pair of extra-base hits, three RBIs, two runs scored and a hit-by-pitch. He got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning when he drove an opposite-field, RBI double to the fence in left field. Later, in the bottom of the sixth, he crushed a two-run home run well over the rightfield fence, as it crash-landed on the fence that outlines Plainedge High School’s football field.
Though Wescott was instrumental in helping the team secure the conference title, he is more focused on the road ahead.
“The clinching and all that, it feels great, but once you get into playoffs, it’s a whole new game,” Wescott said. “Records don’t matter. Any team can come out and win any day if they play well. It’s always great to say that we [stayed undefeated], but you don’t get a trophy for that. So we’re just looking to keep building off it.”
Other contributors were centerfielder Taylor Nitsch, third baseman Mike Calapai and reliever Nick Williams. Nitsch went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, three RBIs and two runs scored. Calapai went 1-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice fly and two RBIs. Williams secured the shutout with a perfect seventh inning, striking out one.
For Wheatley, third baseman Ryan Silva went 2-for-3.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
