Coach Hayes on playing Sachem

“One thing is for sure. This year will definitely help our younger pitchers and make them better. That’s what happens when you spend time throwing to Jay.” Longwood‘s Hayes Snakebit at Sachem

For Pierce Hayes and his Longwood baseball team, the season-opening three-game series with Sachem inflicted a little more of what Hayes has come to dread throughout his six-year coaching career: Sachem’s home field. Any field, that is. The basketball court, the soccer field or the baseball diamond. But especially the baseball diamond.

“God, how I hate it there,” said Hayes, who has coached various teams in all those respective sports yet never won a game at Sachem.

And last week was a little more of the same. After opening-day pitcher Shawn Schrage felt a painful pop in the elbow of his throwing arm after just three pitches, Hayes removed him and brought in Jason Rappold. Two pitches later, Rappold took a line drive off his right knee cap. Out walked Hayes to the mound again. He removed Rappold and had to call on rightfielder Chris Ingoglia. Though Ingoglia put on a gutty performance, Sachem eventually won, 11-7. It took the next two games in similar fashion, winning 17-12 and 7-0.

“It’s almost comical,” Hayes said.

Not too comical for Schrage, though. Doctors have tentatively identified the senior’s problem as tendinitis. That’s not good for Hayes, who had identified Schrage as his top pitcher this season. Now, Longwood will call on sophomore Jimmy Otto, Rappold and senior Brett Engmann.

Despite all this, Hayes still believes he can compete and is even hoping to meet Sachem again, in the playoffs. April 15

Longwood Tops Hills East, 7-0:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Mar 1990

Shawn Schrage struck out five batters and allowed three hits as Longwood beat Half Hollow Hills East, 7-0, yesterday in non-league baseball. Brett Engmann hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a run-scoring double in the second. Longwood 222 100 x 7 11 0 Half Hollow Hills East 000 000 x 0 3 2 WP – Schrage. LP – Herbert. HR – L: Engmann.

Justin Flanders scored on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fifth inning as Longwood tied Bellport, 3-3. The game was suspended because of darkness and will resume at 4 p.m. today 

HONOR ROLL STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK/EAST END Brett Engmann Longwood Baseball Senior:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Apr 1990:

When he’s not pitching every third game for Longwood’s varsity baseball team, senior Brett Engmann is roaming shortstop, displaying the same quickness and split-second speed that he had as the goalkeeper on the school’s soccer team. “He’s got those quick hands and instincts that you just can’t coach,” said coach Pierce Hayes.

Engmann – who’s looking to take his 88 average and 1100 SAT score to Rutgers in the Fall – is one of the reasons why Hayes is looking to improve on last season’s disappointment of missing the playoffs by one game. Engmann will bat third and look to knock in some runs with his .320 batting average. He’ll also pitch every third day.

“Playing shortstop is not like goalie where you have balls coming at you from weird angles at really high speeds,” Engmann said. “It’s a little easier as far as reaction time goes. I can get a little bit of a better jump.”

Hayes is hoping his entire team gets the same jump.

Jeff Mauri went 3-for-4 and scored twice and Adam Wheeler was 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Sachem to an 11-7 League I victory over Longwood. Longwood 023 020 0 7 13 4 Sachem 502 040 x 11 12 0. WP – Maier. LP – Rappold. April 3

Lance Fusco threw a one-hit shutout and walked two as Sachem defeated Longwood, 7-0.  Longwood 000 000 0 0 1 4 Sachem 201 400 x 7 10 1 WP – Fusco. LP – Ingoglia. April 6

Chris Nielsen and Chris Wheeler hit three-run homers as Longwood beat Ward Melville, 18-5. Chris Ingoglia’s three-run double in the third inning erased a 4-3 deficit and helped Longwood to a 6-4 win and a doubleheader sweep.  Longwood 514 070 1 18 13 0 Ward Melville 050 000 0 5 5 3 WP – Engmann. LP – Meehan. HR – L: Nielsen, Mocceo, Wheeler. Ward Melville 004 000 0 4 7 3 Longwood 213 000 x 6 4 1 WP – Otto. LP – DiGennero. April 10

cIn other League I games, Brett Engmann went the distance and scattered fourhits as Longwood beat Patchogue-Medford, 1-0. Jason Collins singled home Chris Engoglia in the top of the fourth for Longwood . Longwood 000 100 0 1 5 2 Patchogue-Medford 000 000 0 0 4 1. WP – L: Engmann. LP – PM: Beadoin. April 17

Dave Burrows’ two-run single keyed a five-run sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie and send Longwood past Ward Melville, 10-7. Teammate John Laflair had a two-run double in the first inning for a 3-0 lead.  Longwood 301 105 0 10 13 1 Ward Melville 000 142 0 7 9 2 WP – Otto. LP – Mazzaro. April 19

Longwood 000 000 0 0 4 4 Patchogue-Medford 102 500 x 8 7 0 WP – Burrell. LP – Rappold. April 20

Patchogue-Medford 002 402 5 13 10 3 Longwood 022 001 4 9 5 6 WP – Theodoropoulos. LP – Engmann. April 21

Mike Bahr’s grand slam in the third inning gave Floyd a 4-0 lead en route to a 6-1 win over Longwood. Keith Harrington tossed a six-hitter for the win.  Floyd 004 110 0 6 11 3 Longwood 010 000 0 1 6 2. WP – Harrington. LP – Otto. HR – F: Bahr.

Floyd 020 110 0 4 11 2 Longwood 002 130 x 6 8 2 WP – Engmann. LP – Barnes. HR – F: Morano, Cooke; L: Nielsen, Laflair. April 27

Tim Kemp’s two-out grand slam in the second gave Connetquot a 4-2 lead en route to an 8-5 win over Longwood. Matt Guiliano struck out 10 for Connetquot.  Connetquot 044 000 0 8 7 1 Longwood 201 001 1 5 7 2 WP – Guiliano. LP – Otto. HR – C: Kemp; L: Nielsen, LaFlair. May 2

Longwood 001 000 1 2 5 1 Connetquot 101 110 x 4 7 1 WP – Kiernan. LP – Engmann. May 3

Longwood 001 000 0 1 4 2 Connetquot 001 620 x 9 13 1 WP – DiClemente. LP – Rappold. May 4

Brentwood 113 100 004 10 10 2 Longwood 015 000 000 6 14 5 WP – Badilla. LP – Rappold. HR – L: LaFlair. May 8

Longwood 000 000 0 0 6 2 Brentwood 610 100 x 8 9 0 WP – Badilla. LP – Engmann. May 9

Longwood 400 000 0 4 3 2 Centereach 000 051 x 6 6 3 WP – Drogatta. LP – Otto. May 16

Centereach 000 111 0 3 3 3 Longwood 020 050 x 7 10 3, WP – Rappold. LP – Lambe. May 18

Mike McBrien stole third and scored on a throwing error to give Shoreham-Wading River a 3-2 win over Longwood in the title game of the Shoreham-Wading River Tournament. Julio Vega drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Brendan Harten with the tying run in the second . . . In the completion of the first-round game that was suspended on April 28, David Burrows’ one-out single in the eighth inning scored Chris Wheeler to give Longwood a 4-3 win over Bellport . May 20