The top teams in Class AA all took a tumble last week as Plainview, Massapequa and Farmingdale all suffered a defeat. Luckily for them, there’s still plenty of baseball left to be played in the season and they still hold top spots in their respective conferences. At the midway point in the season, it seems that anyone is capable of winning. With that being said, here are this week’s top five teams in class AA.
5. Farmingdale (6-3) (Last week: #4)
The Dalers suffered a game three loss to a winless Hicksville team, therefore they drop a spot in this week’s power rankings. Although Farmingdale didn’t complete the clean sweep against Hicksville, there was still plenty of bright spots that came out of the series. Sophmore Justin Rosner continues to strengthen his case as a Diamond Award candidate, as he fired a complete game shutout in game one of the series. Rosner has posted ridiculous numbers all season, and don’t expect him to slow down any time soon. Farmingdale will face Syosset (2-3-1) this week, hoping to get back on track and sweep them.
4. Massapequa (4-2) (Last week: #3)
Massapequa suffered their first harsh loss of the season, falling to Freeport 6-4 in game two of the series. To show exactly what kind of team they are, the Chiefs came out firing in game three of the series. As a result, they won 10-2. Christian DeNave propelled the Chiefs to victory on the mound in game one, allowing no earned runs. Therefore, he’s this week’s standout player for Massapequa. Heading into their biggest week of the season, Massapequa must make no mistakes, as they face Oceanside (6-0) in what will be a highly contested series all week long. You won’t want to miss this rivalry matchup.
3. Plainview (5-1) (Last week: #2)
Plainview failed to sweep Baldwin this past week, allowing them drop to number three in this week’s power rankings. Although they didn’t sweep Baldwin, they still came out victorious in the final two games of the series and were without Tyler Marinaccio on the mound. Marinaccio was forced to sit out his game one start due to flu-like symptoms and as a result, the Hawks lost. As seen in the past, these kind of losses happen to every great team, so there’s no reason to push the panic button. Plainview will look to keep their momentum going strong this week after their walk off win in game three of the series, courtesy of Jordan Lambert. They will face Long Beach (3-3) this week.
2. Calhoun (8-1) (Last week: #5)
In perhaps their most impressive week in recent history, Calhoun swept East Meadow in dominating fashion. Not only were they clicking on all cylinders at the plate, but their pitching held East Meadow in check as well. The aspect that stands out for Calhoun is their depth. The lineup consisting of Matt Pelcher, Mike Pokorny, Jake Edwards, Jack Pugliano and Nick Vicino is among the top lineups in the county, so expect them to keep producing these numbers in the second half of the season. Jack Pugliano led the team in hitting against East Meadow, as he cashed in with 5 RBI. The 8-1 Colts now hold the first place spot in conference AA2, and will head into their bye week as the team to beat in their conference.
1. Oceanside (6-0) (Last week: #1)
Although the Sailors had a bye last week, they aren’t going anywhere in this week’s power rankings. With a week off, their dominant rotation of Brendan McFall, Matt Carey and TJ Thorne will be fully energized and ready to go in their most important series of the year against Massapequa. This has been a bitter rivalry for years, so don’t expect anything less than a close and exciting series this week. In recent years, Massapequa has been in control of this rivalry. However, this year the table may turn. Oceanside is the only undefeated team left in class AA at this point in the season, and don’t be surprised if they remain undefeated after this week. This Oceanside team is extremely talented, and is definitely capable of sweeping the defending Long Island champions.
