I finally made my way out to cover a Smithtown East game after they have established themselves as a legitimate contender in Suffolk County Class AA.
Their depth was on display in yesterday’s victory and here are my takeways:
- Before we get into the game, just wanted to say it’s been a few years since a team has had a core in place like this. From watching their pitchers get private lessons with Neal Heaton to summer league games, I noticed early on that this Smithtown East team has the potential to put together title runs both this year and next. In our podcast on Halloween with Lou Petrucci and Gregg Sarra we discussed that. They have four arms in the 2019 class (Michael Storms, Will Kennedy, Doug Goodwin, Nick Harvey) and one in 2020 (Jai Sharma) that are very impressive. I also watched their closer Michael Hennessey during the winter touch 89 MPH and he’s committed to Cortland. I knew it would be a special group, didn’t know it would quite be to this extreme.
- In the first inning, Nick Harvey drew a leadoff walk and Ryan Pennisi smacked a single through the left side but they did not score against Anthony Frascogna. They also didn’t score in the second inning, although they did get two base runners. Mike Ciminiello drew a leadoff walk but was erased trying to second base. Doug Goodwin ripped a double to left but was stranded .
- Their starting pitcher today, junior southpaw Michael Storms went 1-2-3 in the first inning and worked around a single to center field by the No. 6 hitter Ryan Brewer. He struck out one batter in the first inning, but two in the second inning. He really established his fastball early in the counts. He sat between 79-81 MPH, but generated plenty of swings-and-misses. His delivery is reminiscent of former MLB closer Billy Wagner in his leg kick, stride length and arm slot. Obviously, the fastball is nowhere close to the upper 90s, but he does have the whippy arm action that will add plenty of MPH as he puts on strength. The only hard hit ball in the first two innings was a fly out to left center field off the bat of freshman Coltrane Calloway. While it was a good piece of hitting by the freshman, a pitcher of his ilk should dominate the younger players especially making his third varsity start.
- The Bulls got on the board in the third inning after a leadoff double by Nick Harvey, who then advanced to third on a wild pitch. LIU Post-commit Matt Laurelli hit one hard, albeit directly at the third baseman. It got passed him and allowed Harvey to score. They got another base runner on a single by Matt Weirtheim but Ciminiello struck out to end the inning.
- The Marauders got the run back after Jack Pirkl reached on a bloop single to center field. The ball hung up in the air for a decent amount of time, it could’ve been caught. The next batter lined out to third base, and it could’ve been a double play but the third baseman spiked the throw to get past the first baseman and put the tying run in scoring position. The following batter, Jayden Morales, made it hurt with a long RBI double to center field. It was a well-struck ball. At that point, it appeared they could’ve really put a scare into the Bulls, as they have not faced much adversity yet this season. Storms was able to settle down, however, and retired the next two batters including his fourth strikeout of the afternoon.
- The fourth inning was where most of the damage occurred. Smithtown East had two outs and runners on 1st & 2nd for Matt Laurelli. He hit the softest of pop ups into a place on the field that he couldn’t have placed it better–just over the head of the pitcher and in front of the second baseman. The following batter, Will Kennedy, made it hurt with a well-struck double to left center field. The center fielder had a chance to make a play, and it still might’ve dropped in, but he slipped and the ball rolled to the fence. It cleared the bases and a 1-1 game turned into a 4-1 game. Three consecutive walks added a run and then Doug Goodwin broke it open with a two-run single to center field. He made a poor base-running decision, not getting into a rundown between 1st & 2nd and that ended the inning, but the damage was done and the lead was 7-1.
- Storms lost his command briefly in the fourth inning. He allowed a lead off walk, and after a 6-4-3 DP, he walked another and hit a batter to put bring up Jack Pirkl. He ended the threat on a flyout to right field.
- In the bottom of the fifth, he allowed a single to Morales, but a batter’s interference gave him a break sending the runner back to first. Also, with two outs Matt Laurelli showed his athleticism with a great charging play and firing on the run to nail him by a step. That is important in the postseason when that exact situation can play out against a team like Ward Melville, but in a tighter game where runs are at a premium against someone like Max Nielsen.
- They added three more runs in the sixth inning, and I know the game wasn’t on the line but it did impress me, because it came from two different batters than the damage came from earlier. Ryan Pennisi absolutely smoked a fastball down the right field line for a double. This was the type of “inside-out” you saw Derek Jeter do routinely. I wasn’t a hitter myself, so I don’t know how they can do that, but I know as a pitcher, there’s nothing that frustrates you more when you make a good pitch and the batter still does damage. No. 5 batter Matt Weirtheim followed with a two-run single, a ball that was smoked to center field to open up a 10-1 lead. The offense was impressive, they had contributions all over the place, and they hit the ball hard. This was no fluke, it is a much more deep lineup than they’ve had in any of the previous years although they don’t have a hitter quite like they had in Shawn Kelly in 2015 or John Marti like in 2016. Those were outstanding individual seasons.
- Storms wound up striking out four over the next two innings, firing a complete game. He did a lot of things right in this game. He threw three pitches for strikes, he has no fear on the mound–similar to the demeanor of Nick Fanti. If I’m nitpicking I’ll say he did have the command lapse in the fourth inning and he also forgot to back up third base on a flyball to center with less than 2 out. Other than that, he’s impressive and I can see him beating any offense that he will face the rest of the way. I haven’t seen all their starters, but I have seen Will Kennedy and now him, and I can tell you, that is as good as Newfield or Ward Melville.
