Game 1
Timely hitting and a dominant performance by starter David Otero Jr. helped push Farmingdale to a 3-0 victory over Old Westbury in game one of the double header.
A pitchers duel with a little bit of defense helped keep the score at 0-0 until the seventh inning. Farmingdale starter David Otero Jr. pitched a complete game, giving up no runs and four hits. He ran into trouble in the sixth inning when second baseman Jesse Russo lined a triple in the gap to start the inning. He settled in after that, inducing two ground balls to second baseman Tyler Schrimpf. Schrimpf finished out the inning by making a run-saving diving catch down the right field line to preserve the game at 0-0.
The bats for both teams were silent for most of the day. Farmingdale registered seven hits while Old Westbury had four. Other than the third inning, Old Westbury failed to register two or more runners on base in one inning. The Russo triple was the only extra base hit of the game for the Panthers.
In the bottom of the seventh the Rams struck first.
An error by Old Westbury third baseman Dom Kriegel put the leadoff runner on. A sac bunt and a single to left field by Schrimpf gave Farmingdale a 1-0 lead.
Farmingdale tacked on two more runs in the eighth to extend their lead. An infield groundout by Kenneth Johntry helped bring home the first run. A double down the line by Shawn Blasberg and a single up the middle by Nicholas Soriano put the Rams up 3-0 going into the ninth.
Otero finished off the ninth with a double play and a ground out. He earned his second win of the season, lowering his ERA to 1.91. The win makes two in a row for the Rams, improving their record to 13-6 on the season.
Game 2
An all-around solid hitting performance from Old Westbury was the difference in a 4-3 win over Farmingdale in game two of the double header. The Panthers scored one run in four different innings to help give starter Steven Tellerias his fourth win of the season.
The Panthers fell down early, balking in the first run of the game. Tellerias settled in after that, going 4.2 innings, giving up three hits and two runs. Though his stuff was not overpowering, he pitched to contact and got himself out of a few jams.
Head coach Rod Stephen was very pleased with the performance. “Our pitching has gone through some stages and they’ve really come through in the past two days. I’m very happy with how my pitching is going. They’re not giving away bases. We gave up seven hits in each game yesterday and I think less than that in this game.”
In the top of the second a leadoff single and a walk set the table for the Panthers. After the runners moved over on a ground out, a wild pitch from Farmingdale starter Joe Marino brought one in to tie the game at one.
The momentum for Old Westbury continued in the following inning, as an RBI single from Shawn Kaminski put the Panthers up 2-1.
Old Westbury second baseman Jesse Russo continued his hot day at the plate, knocking a triple in the left field gap. Reliever Joe D’Arco balked during the next batter, plating the Panthers third run of the game.
A Joseph Roche sac fly helped cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth but it would prove to not be enough. The Panthers came right back in the top of the sixth, scoring another insurance run off the bat of right fielder John Fogarty.
Relievers William Amendola and Joshua Cruz combined to go 2.1 innings of work to close out the game, giving Old Westbury their ninth win of the season.
