Joe Minucci pitched a complete game shutout to give Nassau CC an 8-0 victory over Queensborough in game one of the Region XV conference tournament.
Head Coach Larry Minor had nothing but positives to say about Minucci’s performance.
“The greatest thing about Joe Minucci is that he has a heart of a lion,” said Minor. “He’s like our leader, our captain out there. The better thing is last year as a freshmen, he lost the same game here, to the same team. So now he came back, battled back and allowed us to get to the second round, he added.
Nassau came into today’s game having defeated Queensborough in dominating fashion three previous times earlier in the season. Thursday was no different.
Starter Joe Minucci previously owned a 3-0 record with a 1.19 ERA over 30.1 innings. He looked extremely comfortable, maintaining control of all his pitches and keeping the ball on the infield.
He got help from his offense in the third inning. Shortstop Marino Sorboro drove in the game’s first run with a triple to right field, putting the Lions up 1-0. Sorboro would later reach base two more times in the game, once on an error and once via walk but his defense is what really stood out. Multiple times throughout the game he made flashy plays, cutting across the diamond to turn infield hits into outs. A Morgan McCarthy groundout helped bring home Sorboro, making it 2-0 Nassau through three.
Minucci continued to deal, compiling 12 strikeouts in total including four innings where he notched multi-strikeouts. His high-octane fastball combined with his off-speed pitches became untouchable for most of the game.
A six run sixth inning broke open the door for the Lions. Vincent Napolitano led off the inning with a single followed by a stolen base. He would then be plated by outfielder John Capozzoli, making it 3-0 Nassau. A double and a walk set the bases for Brian Perez, who’s two-run single to right field extended the Lion’s lead to 5-0.
Perez would then steal second base and watch Sorboro walk to reload the bases. Reliever Fred Ferente would come in for starter John Fitzgerald. Faced with the bases loaded, Ferente balked in another run on the first batter he faced.
Leading 6-0, the Lions piled on two more off a Thomas Toscano two-run, two out single. Toscano’s hot season continued, as his average ticked just past the .375 mark.
Minucci looked confident to finish out the game in the seventh. Two more strikeouts and a pop out gave Nassau an 8-0 final. The Lions head to the second round of the Region XV conference tournament awaiting to play the winner of Suffolk versus Bronx CC.
