by Vinny Messana
Being a sophomore, Anthony Fontana hasn’t faced too many pro-caliber pitchers yet.
It took him just one at bat to adjust to Sam Kessler‘s stuff and he laced an RBI single to right field in the third inning which extended Wantagh‘s lead to 2-0 at the time, and proved to be the game-winning run that delivered their first Long Island Championship since 2010.
“OH MY GOD–An experience I’ll never forget,” said the sophomore first baseman.
Both teams went quietly offensively through the first two innings. Sam Kessler, who entered with eight wins, and will be headed to West Virginia this summer–if he does not get drafted next week–got the start for the Mustangs.
He pumped fastballs in the high 80s and mixed it with a hellacious slider. The Warriors took a couple innings to get acclimated to his high-octane arsenal but put together a rally in the third.
It started with an error by the shortstop on a routine two-hopper. That brought up another sensational sophomore, Anthony D’Onofrio, who lined a single to right field to bring up Jimmy Joyce.
Bobby Hegarty was phenomenal (Photo Credit: Vinny Messana)
Joyce hit an excuse-me single to right field to load the bases for DH Will O’Brien. The senior got into one to left field–easily the hardest hit ball of the day–but it was caught and he settled for a sacrifice fly to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. With two outs, Fontana lined a single to right field to score D’Onofrio and extend the lead to 2-0.
“Just got a fastball and I drove it,” he said in regards to his hit.
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With the way Bobby Hegarty was throwing the ball, it felt like the score was much more one-sided.
Hegarty, no slouch himself, entered the game with six wins. He is easily overshadowed in a rotation that is led by a Div-I commit in Jimmy Joyce and a high-end Div-II pitcher in Will O’Brien, but he has been a key cog in the Warriors’ machine this season.
He worked real quick and retired the first seven hitters on fly ball outs.
Working with the 2-0 lead, he did allow a run but it was no fault of his own. The eight-hole hitter, Jake Golina, grounded out towards the middle that the second baseman got to but made an errant throw to first base. After a single by George Rainer–the only hit he allowed on the day–he induced a tailor-made double play off the bat of D.J. Gatz, but Mike Derham made another errant throw that allowed Golina to score and cut the score to 2-1.
He settled in after that and did not allow the Mustangs to muster any semblance of a rally.He retired the game’s final 12 batters to fire a 1-hitter in the biggest game of his career for his seventh win of the season and pitch his Warriors to the New York State tournament next weekend.
Kessler was good–but not quite his usual dominant self. He finished having allowed five hits, one ER with seven K’s.
He will certainly be a name to watch in the draft next week. His numbers this season were sensational and he has the two-pitch combo of a pro pitcher.
As for the Warriors, it has been a tremendous postseason run as the No. 7 seed in the Class A playoffs. They are now 23-5 and have a very good shot at winning it all in the state’s with their trio of pitchers.
They are coming off a 12-win season but put in the time to get here.
“A lot of work–every single day,” said Fontana. “Grinding every day; taking swings, fielding, and it came through,” he added.
He noted that the ‘Wantagh Circus’ played a role in their win with their large turnout and nonstop cheering.
They will look to keep their dream season rolling, but for now they can enjoy defeating one of the top arms on island–No. 7 prospect Sam Kessler.
