By Nakeem Grant
A three-run rally in the bottom of the 9th gave Suffolk a 5-4 win, crowning them the 2016 NJCAA XV Regional champions. It was a tightly contested game at Farmingdale State College but only one team could claim the title.
Suffolk took an early 2-0 lead with sac flies from Jason Conti in the bottom of the 2nd and Eloy Benson in the 3rd inning.
Photo Credit: Nakeem Grant
Suffolk’s starter, Robert Sciarrotta fed off his team’s early momentum, putting up five zeroes in the first five innings. His curveball got plenty of swings and misses and his fastball helped to start two double plays.
“He’s been consistent for us all year,” said Suffolk head coach Eric Brown. “He’s done a tremendous job for us off the mound. He’s just a quality young man.”
June 5th at Dowling!
Nassau started to figure out Sciarrotta and took a better approach to his curveball which led to better at-bats in the waning moments of the game. After an error by Suffolk’s outfielders, Mike McCormick tied the game in the 6th with an RBI double.
Justin Grimes ripped a two-out single to rightfield in the 7th off of Sciarrotta to give Nassau their first lead of the game, 3-2. Luciano Morello provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the 8th, but it wasn’t enough for Nassau to secure their lead.
Conor Hehir pitched eight brilliant innings for Nassau, holding Suffolk’s potent offense (.367 team batting average) to just two runs before entering the 9th.
Suffolk stirred things up quickly, loading the bases with a few singles and a walk to get things rolling in the ninth. Hehir’s day on the mound was finished and the bullpen duo of Yoldalyn Canela-Vargas and Sean Turturro came in to pitch the 9th.
Joseph DeLand hit a single to left to make it a one-run ballgame and it all came down Angel Rodriguez. Rodriguez hit a chopper to third base and the third baseman overthrew the catcher, allowing the tying and winning run to score. Coach Brown said after the game that his team plays with a lot of passion, fueling their late rally.
“They just have a lot of heart,” said Coach Brown. “It was all in our approach—just singles, move runners over one at a time, and we just tried to do it together.”
Following the game, Coach Brown was awarded with the Region XV Coach of the Year. His sophomore pitcher, Kristopher Killackey was awarded with the Region XV Player of the Year. Killackey was 8-0 with a 0.99 ERA and 67 punch-outs.
Coach Brown’s team have officially clinched a spot in this year’s NJCAA DIII Tournament. We’ll see how far Suffolk can ride this momentum. Regardless of how far they go, they will continue to play spirited baseball as they have all season.
“What’s so nice about these guys is that they’re so unselfish. Everybody has a role, there’s no giant egos here and they just play for each other. That’s the beauty of this.”
