by Chris Amato
Bay Shore had one thing in mind today, to keep scoring runs and never look back. That is exactly what they did scoring 13 runs against Connetquot in a Class AA playoff elimination game.
After an upset win by No. 16 Connetquot over No. 1 Bay Shore on Monday, the Marauders were looking to avenge their first round loss and send Connetquot home. The Bay Shore offense was certainly the driving force of the game, especially when complimented by a gem pitching performance by Hermes Abreu.
Senior shortstop, Brian Weissert, was locked into today’s game while at the plate. Wiessert led the Bay Shore offense today by going 3-3 with two homers and a single while collecting 5 RBI’s. The Fordham-commit has been a key player on his team and hopes to continue his hot-hitting for the rest of the playoffs.
When asked if he had any game plan going into todays game, Wiessert said “We knew we had to keep ball in play without striking out.” The game plan happened to work out for Bay Shore just the way they planned it. Every hitter in the Bay Shore lineup reached base safely at least once.
Bay Shore gave Hermes Abreu, the usual closer, his first start of the year. He fired five shutout innings. Abreu helped himself out at the plate as well collecting 3 RBI’s on 2 hits. He finished his performance with 0 ER on three hits and three walks while striking out 1.
Chris Ryan got the nod to start for Connetquot. Ryan has faced Bay Shore before, pitching against them in his first outing of the season. Bay Shore’s offense came out firing on all cylinders in the first inning scoring 4 runs. After getting two runners on base, Weissert smacked his first of the two homers he would hit in the game, this one a three-run bomb to deep left-center field. Then soon after that, Charlie Dunn drove in Mike LoVorio to increase the lead to 4-0.
Later on in the second inning after allowing the first two batters to reach base, Connetquot’s Chris Ryan would be replaced by senior, Christian Nissen. Ryan left the game with 1 strikeout while allowing 6 ER, on 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batters. Bay Shore then continued to add to their lead in the 2nd by scoring 4 more runs. Two of the runs were scored when SP, Abreu, hit a two-RBI single to drive in Kevin Otto and Brian Weissert. LoVorio also drove in a run off of a sac fly and Dunn collected his second RBI of the game.
Bay Shore went into the third inning with an eight-run lead and ended the inning leading by 11. Chris LaRose drove in Otto for the 9th run of the game. The 10th and 11th runs were scored on Wiessert’s second home run that almost cleared the parking lot in left field.
Connetquot sophomore, Eric Leo was called upon to pitch the 4th and the 5th. The 4th was the only inning in which Bay Shore failed to cross the plate. In the fifth, Bay Shore was able to tack on one more run that came by an Abreu RBI single.
Bay Shore did not let up going into the 6th adding one more run that came from a Kevin Otto sac fly that drove in Dunn.
A big win against Connetquot will surely light a fire in Marauders as they proceed with their playoff run this year. Bay Shore head coach, Mike Herbst said “I think when you come out against a tough team like Connetquot, a team that’s on fire, and put up an offensive display like we did today, it will help us going forward and give us confidence going into Northport.”
Bay Shore hosts Northport Friday at 4pm.
