by Vinny Messana
“It was the type of game that umpires won’t complain about,” said Bayport-Blue Point Head Coach James Moccio following his team’s 1-0 shutout over League VII rival Mount Sinai that took all of 80 minutes to complete.
The Phantoms knew they were facing one of Long Island’s premier pitchers in Sam Kessler, but their starter, junior Nik Ingraffia, actually outdueled him.
“I told these guys before the game, you can all worry about Sam Kessler, but you’re going to forget they have to score on you too,” said Moccio. “If our guy goes out and throws strikes and you play defense, it’s not about their guy on the mound. He’s not there when we’re on defense. Worry about what we do,” he added.
Ingraffia fired a two-hit shutout, walked two and struck out eight for his second win of the season.
The only offense of the game came in the bottom of the third when the Phantom’s leadoff hitter, Jake Liberatore, smacked a long solo HR over the 360 ft mark in right center field off Kessler. It also happened to be the first run of the season scored off Kessler in his fifth start.
“He’s a gap-to-gap guy. He likes to get it in the oppo gap” said Moccio.
Ingraffia ran into trouble in only one inning. In the fourth inning, after allowing a leadoff single to DJ Gatz and walking his counter part, Jared Donnelly bunted the runners into scoring position with one out. He eluded any damage when he struck out the next two batters to end the jam.
He sailed through the final three innings, allowing just one base runner on a walk.
Kessler was very impressive in this game. He was only touched up for the one run. He struck out eight in the ballgame and allowed only three hits. His power fastball was causing the Phantom’s batter to start their swings earlier, but he also has a wipeout slider. That combination causes plenty of strikeouts, especially when you throw strikes–as he did.
Sam Kessler allowed his first earned run of the season in his fifth start (Photo Credit: Vinny Messana)
Mount Sinai entered the game with a 10-2 record and sat in first place in League VII. They remain in first place, but this victory shows that despite their 0-4 start to the season, the Phantoms are back in the thick of the race. They have now won seven games in a row and will look to clinch a playoff spot this week.
Ingraffia noted that the team is confident they can beat anyone and they realize how good they are.
