Suffolk CC displayed a show of dominance in their 14-6 victory over Nassau CC in the NJCAA Region XV playoffs. The Sharks advance to tomorrow and are set to play Nassau again, needing just one win to advance to the World Series.
Despite the impressive run margin, Suffolk was down 3-0 after the first inning. Nassau sophomore outfielder Vincent Napolitano got this three-and-a-half hour offensive showcase started by driving a two-out, three-run homerun over the left field fence.
“We had great approaches and we swung at really good pitches,” said Suffolk head coach Brian Klammer. “Not swinging at bad pitches is the key to winning.”
Suffolk, however, was not deterred by this quick three-run deficit. The Sharks’ offense proved to be both resilient and relentless. They came right back and plated five runs in the top of the second.
The rally was started by freshman infielder Jenfrey Perez-Castillo, who took one for the team. A couple timely hits set the stage for sophomore outfielder Anthony Scheller. The leadoff hitter stepped into the box and drove a RBI double that tied the game at three apiece.
“Everyone as a whole today contributed one-through-nine, no one really stuck out,” Klammer said. “Everyone did their jobs in bunt situations and hit-and-runs.”
Scheller ended up having a monster day at the plate. He finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored, a walk and a double. The Suffolk lineup hit the ball well from top to bottom of the lineup. The Sharks finished just one hit shy of the 20 mark with 19 hits, they had nine hits through four innings.
“I just tried to stay composed and just have that team mindset of if you get out just pick yourself up and pick your teammates up,” Scheller said. “Just keep hacking at it and hit the ball hard and if the ball drops, it drops.”
The Nassau team did not give up, however, getting across three more runs and allowing their first two hitters to get six at bats. This, of course, was no match for the offensive production from Suffolk.
Four Sharks had three or more hits, with Perez-Castillo finishing 4-for-5 with two runs scored, a RBI and a nice opposite-field double down the line on a curveball that he stayed back on to give Suffolk run number 13.
“I definitely tweaked some things in the cage before today’s game,” Scheller said. “Like I said I was just in the mindset of hitting the ball hard, staying within myself, having a good approach to the plate and keeping my teammates up.”
James Matera and Michael Pascuzzi collected three hits a piece in the two and four spots, respectively. Matera finished 3-for-6 with a double and two runs scored, while the cleanup hitter Pascuzzi finished 3-for-6 with a double, four RBIs, a pair of stolen bases and two runs scored.
“Really it doesn’t matter who is out there we know we’re the best team in the region,” Scheller added. “And I think we did a good job of showing that today.”
Suffolk is set to play in the region XV Championship tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m from PAL Stadium in Holtsville, New York.
