Will Kennedy clears the bases with a double to left center field.
Top 4 | Smithtown East 4, Bay Shore 1 pic.twitter.com/FKPvr9Cfuh
Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 24, 2018
Entering the season, Smithtown East was being picked by many people to win the county championship. It was no secret their pitching staff was stockpiled with talented arms.
Michael Storms, one of those highly-regarded pitchers, proved today why many people felt that way but the offense was equally impressive in their 10-1 victory against League III rival Bay Shore.
“We knew we had a big target on our back,” said the junior southpaw regarding the feeling entering the season. “We knew when we play, everyone needs to do their job and stay focused and not let it get to our hands–just play our game,” he said.
They certainly did their jobs this afternoon, but it did take a couple innings to get the bats going against opposing starter Anthony Frascogna.
In the top of the third, leadoff batter Nick Harvey led off with a double to left center field and advanced on a wild pitch. He scored on the next batter, when Matt Laurelli ripped a single past the third baseman to get the Bulls on the board. Frascogna settled down and escaped the third with just the one run.
Storms had his lone hiccup in the bottom of the third when he allowed a leadoff single to Jack Pirkl, who then advanced on a throwing error by the third baseman on an attempt to double him off on a line out. Leadoff batter Jayden Morales had his first of two hits, smoking an RBI double over the center fielder’s head to tie the game up.
At that moment, it appeared the Marauders would be giving the Bulls all they could handle.
The Bulls had other plans, though, and broke out in a big way in the fourth inning.
The inning seemed innocuous enough, as the Bulls had two outs and a runner on first, but they put together a rally. Nick Harvey drew a two-out walk and Matt Laurelli bloops a single just over the pitcher’s head to load the bases for Will Kennedy. He ripped one to left-center field and the center fielder slipped allowing the ball to not only drop but to roll to the fence, clearing the bases and opening up a 4-1 lead. They extended it to 5-1 on a bases loaded walk to Mike Ciminiello. The game was broken open by Doug Goodwin with a two-run single to open up a 7-1 lead but he was thrown out trying to extend into a double.
Storms briefly lost his command in the fourth inning, walking two batters and hitting another but he escaped unscathed and sealed in nicely after that.
Freshman Coltrane Calloway came on in relief for the Marauders and he fired a scoreless fifth inning before running into some trouble in the sixth.
The Bulls offense continued to pile on with an RBI double to right field by Ryan Pennisi and a two-run single by Matt Weirtheim to score Kennedy and Pennisi and increase the lead to 10-1.
Storms went 1-2-3 in the sixth inning and worked around a leadoff single in the seventh to retire the next three batters and finish the complete game with a come backer to the mound.
“Last year we came here and they beat us–they surprised us–and it left a bad taste in our mouths. We just wanted to finish the job and keep doing what we’re doing,” he added.
They continue their attempt at an undefeated season. They have two games remaining with Bay Shore, three against Walt Whitman before finishing up against rival Smithtown West.
