by Vinny Messana
When the West Islip bus showed up at 3:45pm, or about an hour later than planned, it was a good omen for Northport.
The Northport Tigers (20-7) took advantage of five errors by the Lions and were led by Nicholas Palmerini‘s complete game to force a do-or-die Game Three tomorrow at West Islip. They are looking for their first Suffolk County championship since 1983.
“The energy from the crowd helps, and with my team behind me, I can throw whatever I want and feel confident,” said Palmerini.
Photo Credit: Vinny Messana
The crowd was highly energized and chanting on the Tigers at every opportunity and it certainly was a factor in this game.
After the Lions took an early 2-0 lead from a wild pitch that scored Lou Antos and an RBI single by Nick Valenti that scored Ray Weber, Palmerini settled down.
His Tiger offense got one back in the bottom of the first on a sac fly by Frankie Stola which scored Joe Stockman.
In the second inning, they did a bulk of their damage.
After the leadoff man was struck out, the next two batters reached on infield errors. Stockman laced an RBI double down the right field line to tie the ballgame. Stola hit a grounder that was misplayed into an error and it gave them the 3-2 lead. Jake McCarthy (3-for-3) ripped a single through the left side for the fourth run of the inning.
Palmerini got into trouble in the fourth inning after he retired the first two batters. A walk and a single set the stage for Antos hitting an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-3. Jake Guercio followed with a single but the runners could only advance one base. Palmerini buckled down and struck out Ray Weber to end the jam.
In the bottom of the fourth, McCarthy ripped an opposite field solo HR to extend the lead to 6-3.
That was more than enough for Palmerini who won his ninth game of the season to tie his teammate Brian Herrmann and Weber for the Long Island lead.
The Tigers will have one more obstacle to face–James Kory tomorrow afternoon. He was the winning pitcher two years ago as a sophomore when the Lions took down Hills West for the Suffolk County title.
“After beating Bay Shore, we know we can play with anyone as long as we play our game,” said Palmerini.
