BASEBALL PREVIEW SUFFOLK: HISTORY FOR T-BIRDS?
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 17 Mar 2013
Three hard-throwing righthanded juniors, Andruw Gazzola, Chris Weiss and Aaron Floyd make the Lions a threat to win the county crown. Floyd and Gazzola have committed to Stony Brook.
Longwood 3, Floyd 2: Camden Orologio and Andruw Gazzola each had an RBI single in the third that gave Longwood (6-5) a 3-0 lead in League I.
Weiss braves elements Pitching in wintry mix, throws six shutout innings Orologios 3-run double keys Longwoods 8-run fifth
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 26 Mar 2013
Chris Weiss hopped off the mound and into the confines of the Longwood dugout. The junior was more than happy to find a dry spot on the bench. He’d overcome brutal weather conditions to pitch six shutout innings and lead Longwood past Ward Melville, 8-0, yesterday in a Suffolk League I baseball opener.
“I couldn’t wait to get off the field,” Weiss said. “I was soaked and freezing out there. It was a very big game to start the season, and I wanted the chance to pitch and get us that first win.”
Weiss was outstanding, allowing four hits, walking three and striking out seven.
The hard-throwing righthander was locked in a pitchers’ duel with Ward Melville sophomore righthander Joe Flynn in a game that was scoreless through four innings. Then Camden Orologio drilled a three-run double and Kenny Johntry lined a run-scoring single in an eight-run fifth.
The teams dealt with a constant wintry mix that pelted the field from the first pitch and, at times, brought squalls of rain.
“The elements were the same for both teams,” Ward Melville coach Lou Petrucci said. “They persevered and made the big plays and got the key outs and we didn’t.”
Weiss denied Ward Melville in the fourth and fifth when the Patriots threatened.
Freshman Nick Vitale led off the fourth with a walk and stole second. But Weiss bore down against the heart of the Patriots’ order, striking out Flynn, Chris Cepeda and Gregg Coman.
“That was a huge inning for him,” Petrucci said. “And we let an opportunity slip away.”
Ward Melville had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth. This time Weiss struck out Ryan Shields.
“Shields fouled off four two-strike pitches in a very good at- bat,” Petrucci said. “But Weiss won the battle because his catcher had the confidence in him to throw a two-strike curveball. That was the momentum swing right there.”
With a slick, muddied ball and a long way to the backstop, Johntry called for the curve and Weiss delivered the pitch down and away for the third strike.
“He does a great job behind the plate and I know I can throw that pitch at any time,” Weiss said. “He’s like a human backstop. I can throw it in the dirt and he’ll block it. So I throw it with confidence.”
Flynn cruised into the bottom of the fifth before being undone by his defense. After a leadoff walk, the Patriots botched a sacrifice bunt, putting runners at first and second. Another infield error allowed the first run to score and Andruw Gazzoladrew a bases-loaded walk for a 2-0 lead.
“The wheels came off right there,” Petrucci said. “It was our worst inning in my seven years as head coach.”
And Weiss made the lead stand up. “We had a guy come into my office and ask for the ball for the opener,” Longwood coach Dave Delfranco said. “And then he went out and stayed ahead of the hitters, pitched to location and braved the elements. He was very good in an important game. That’s the way you start a season.”
SCORECARD
LONGWOOD 8
WARD MELVILLE 0
Floyd 6 Longwood 2, WP – FL: Ducoing. LP – Benson. HR – FL: Arnold 1, Engasser 1; LW: Gazzola 1. March 28
Orologio rallies Longwood
Newsday, [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 Apr 2013: A.52.
Longwood 5 Patchogue-Medford 4 Camden Orologio scored on Kenny Johntry’s walk-off infield single in the seventh to lift Longwood over Patchogue-Medford, 5-4, yesterday in League I baseball. Chris Weiss had scored on an error to tie it after Longwood (2-1) rallied from down 4-2 in the seventh. WP – LW: Weiss. LP – Clemente. HR . April 3
Commack 11 Longwood 1, WP – COM: Paccione. LP – Kilhanena. April 4
Longwood 10 Brentwood 5, WP – LW: Gazzola. LP – Pierce. April 5
Ward Melville 6 Longwood 1,Phil Carballeira was 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the third to lead Ward Melville (4-2) in Suffolk League I. Chris Cepeda struck out nine, walked one and gave up six hits in a complete game. WP-W: Cepeda. LP – Floyd. HR – W: Flynn 1. April 9
Longwood 9 Ward Melville 0, WP – LW: Killackey. LP – Flynn. April 10
Ward Melville 1, Longwood 0: Chris Cepeda scored on an infield single by Greg Coman in the bottom of the first for Ward Melville (5-3) in Suffolk League I. Anthony Kay struck out 13 and walked two in a two-hitter. His no-hit bid ended on a single to Longwood‘s Aaron Floyd with one out in the sixth. WP – WM: Kay. LP – Gazzola. April 12
Floyd 4, Longwood 3: Tyler Gerena’s two-out single scored Chris Faison (2-for-4) in the bottom of the seventh for Floyd (6-3) in League I. Nick Russo threw a complete game and went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Chris Russo and Anthony Lazar each hit solo homers for the Colonials. April 17
Longwood 4 Floyd 3,Kenny Johntry scored on a fielder’s choice in a three-run fifth to give Longwood (5-5) a 4-3 lead in League I. Mitch Gregorovic tied it at 3 with a run-scoring single in the previous at bat. Kris Killackey allowed two earned runs over six, and Colton Thomas, who earned the save, forced a ground out with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth.WP – LW: Killackey. LP – Bucoing. April 18
Longwood 3, Floyd 2: Camden Orologio and Andruw Gazzola each had an RBI single in the third that gave Longwood (6-5) a 3-0 lead in League I. WP – LW: Gazzola. LP – Lazar. April 19
Commack 5 Longwood 1, WP – COM: Heizman. LP – Weiss. April 23
Commack 4 Longwood 3,Nick Cebellaro hit a two-out, walk-off double to cap a three-run seventh for Commack (11-2) in League I. Joe Baltera’s two-run single tied the score at 3. WP – COM: Krebs. LP – Killackey. April 24
Maline, Morse, Negri go deep Grand slam, 3-run HR power Commack’s big win Negri pitches his third complete game of season
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 26 Apr 2013:
Commack hit two out and hit with two outs. The Cougars simply were too much for host Longwood yesterday.
Paul Maline pulled a booming grand slam over the fence in right-centerfield in the first inning and Bobby Morse sliced a three-run homer just over the fence down the rightfield line in the second inning as Commack tamed the Lions, 11-1, in a Suffolk League I game.
Both blasts came with two outs and provided a nice cushion for Vincent Negri, who pitched his third complete game of the season. The Cougars improved to 12-2 and the Lions fell to 6-8.
“We love to jump out early and give our pitcher something to work with,” said Maline, a Newsday second-team All-Long Island wide receiver who will play football at Duke in the fall. “I was ahead in the count [2-and-1] and was looking middle-in. He left it up and the ball carried well.”
It was Maline’s first career grand slam. “At least in high school. I can’t remember back to Little League,” said Maline, a lefthanded hitter who played rightfield yesterday. “This is my first real one, the first one that counted for something.”
Morse, who had singled to load the bases for Maline, capped a five-run second-inning rally that began after the first two Cougars were retired. Then Joe Baltera singled, Jesse Berardi doubled, Nick Cebellero singled in two runs and Stephen Catalano singled Cebellero to third. Morse stepped up looking to pull the ball to left.
“This whole series, I haven’t pulled the ball once,” said Morse, the Cougars’ third baseman. “I actually was trying to pull it.”
But he wound up hitting it hard the other way. “I knew I hit it well but I didn’t expect it to go over the fence,” Morse said of his second homer this season, which cleared the rightfield fence barely inside the foul pole.
All that early offense made things easy for Negri. “It relaxed me and pumped me up because I didn’t really have my good stuff,” said Negri, who allowed eight hits, struck out five and did not walk a batter. “Some days you don’t have it, but you’ve got to just pitch and not show any emotion. We’ve got a big lineup. There are no weak spots. Everyone can hit. They’ll always pick me up.”
Especially with two outs.
SCOREBOARD
COMMACK 11, LONGWOOD 1
Longwood 5, Sachem East 4: Camden Orologio‘s RBI single scored Aaron Floyd in the top of the seventh to win it for Longwood (14-8) in a Class AA second-round game. Reliever Kris Killackey tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the win.- Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 16 May 2013:
Ward Melville 1, Longwood 0: Chris Cepeda scored on an infield single by Greg Coman in the bottom of the first for Ward Melville (5-3) in Suffolk League I. Anthony Kay struck out 13 and walked two in a two-hitter. His no-hit bid ended on a single to Longwood’s Aaron Floyd with one out in the sixth. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Apr 2013
Longwood 2 Patchogue-Medford 1, WP – LW: Killackey. LP – Clemente. April 30
Longwood 5, Patchogue-Medford 4: Aaron Floyd hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning for Longwood (8-8) in League I. Floyd’s three-run homer had pulled the Lions within 4-3 in the fifth, and Joe Harris’ RBI single tied it in the seventh. Reliever Hunter Greco pitched four scoreless innings. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 May 2013:
Longwood 5, Patchogue-Medford 0: Aaron Floyd‘s RBI-double sparked a five-run sixth inning for Longwood (9-8) in Suffolk League I. Colton Thomas pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief to earn the win and Timmy Kennedy pitched the final two innings for the save. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 May 2013:
Longwood 2 Brentwood 1, WP – LW: Thomas. May 7
Longwood 7 Brentwood 4, WP – LW: Killackey. LP – Mancebo. May 8c
Longwood 11 Brentwood 5
WP – LW: Greco. LP – Pierce. HR – LW: Floyd 1, Orologio 1. May 11
Class AA First Round – at higher seed
(11) Longwood 4 (6) Smithtown East 2, WP – LW: Gazzola. LP – Auricchio.
Longwood 5, Sachem East 4: Camden Orologio’s RBI single scored Aaron Floyd in the top of the seventh to win it for Longwood (14-8) in a Class AA second-round game. Reliever Kris Killackey tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the win. May 16-
(11) Longwood 5 (3) Sachem East 4, WP-L: Killackey. LP – Telesca. HR; S: Hetzel 1, Telesca 1.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 May 2013
CAMDEN OROLOGIO
LONGWOOD, BASEBALL
Had back-to-back tiebreaking seventh-inning RBI hits in No.11 Longwood’s upset wins over No.6 Smithtown East and third-seeded Sachem East in Suffolk AA.
Flynn goes deep, and so does WM Sophomore’s long homer the difference vs. Longwood, Patriots advance to final in Class AA winners’ bracket
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 May 2013: A.48.
Joe Flynn is locked in.
The sophomore third baseman drilled a first-pitch fastball well over the left-centerfield fence in the bottom of the fifth inning yesterday – his third home run in as many games – to give Ward Melville a 1-0 win over Longwood in a Suffolk Class AA winners’-bracket semifinal.
The 6-3, 200-pound Flynn’s 410-foot blast ricocheted off the retaining fence surrounding the school’s lacrosse field and brought thunderous applause from the home fans.
“He tried to beat me with a first-pitch fastball,” said Flynn, who has five homers and 17 RBIs this season. “I can’t even describe the feeling when it left the bat. I knew I got it good.”
Flynn’s solo homer keyed a 10-2 win over Commack in the season finale to clinch first place in League I and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. His solo homer ignited the Patriots in a 4-1 win over Kings Park in the first round of the tournament.
The win moved Ward Melville (17-5), which hasn’t lost at home this season, into the winners’-bracket final of the double-elimination tournament for the first time in school history. Ward Melville will host Half Hollow Hills West (18-5) tomorrow. Hills West beat Commack, 6-4, in eight innings.
The Patriots struggled against Longwood starter Kris Killackey, who was brilliant. The senior righthander allowed four hits, walked none and struck out five.
“We had no answer for him the last time during the regular season, either,” Ward Melville coach Lou Petrucci said. “He shut us out earlier in the year. It was the first run we scored on him in 15 innings. I’m glad Flynn is locked in and got his pitch.”
For the second time in his four-year varsity career, staff ace Anthony Kay was asked to pitch in relief. Petrucci summoned the UConn-bound Kay for the seventh inning after starter Chris Cepeda scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out two.
“I thought Chris was tired and he did a great job throwing six shutout innings,” Petrucci said. “Why waste such a good effort?”
Kay struck out the first two hitters before issuing a full-count walk – and then ended the game with a pickoff, adding a save to his 6-1 record.
Longwood had its opportunities against Cepeda, who improved to 6-1.
The Lions bunched three singles in the third – one of the hits was a batted ball that hit a baserunner – but left runners at first and second when Aaron Floyd lined out to end the inning.
With none out in the fourth, Cam Orologio lined a double to left-center and David Harris walked, but Cepeda retired the next three batters.
Longwood 6, East Islip 4: Aaron Floyd had a two-run homer and Kenny Johntry scored Chris Weiss with a single in the seventh that gave No. 11 Longwood (15-9) the 6-4 lead in its upset of No. 1 East Islip in a Suffolk Class AA loser’s bracket game. Longwood plays Connetquot in a loser’s bracket semifinal on Saturday. WP – LW: Kennedy. LP – Rotunno. HR – LW: Floyd 1, Orologio 1. May 23
Connetquot 2, Longwood 0: Casey Baker struck out seven and walked two in a two-hitter for No. 8 Connetquot (16-9) in a Class AA loser’s bracket semifinal win over No. 11 Longwood. May 30