Our @DigmiNation Player of the Game is Joey Savino who fired a 2-hit shutout over Newfield in a 3-0 victory. He needed only 75 pitches. They will face Bay Shore tomorrow #TipYourCap pic.twitter.com/kTvsHkthLo
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2018
Newfield had a 15-win regular season but ran into a buzzsaw today and it was junior RHP Joey Savino. The hard-throwing 6’3″ RHP was lights-out from the first pitch of the game until his 75th and final pitch of the game. He allowed just a single in the second and another in the sixth as No. 9 Connetquot advances in the winner’s bracket over No. 8 Newfield.
Savino said it “felt great” but deferred praise to his teammates noting the “defense was awesome and the hitting was awesome,” adding that he struggled with his curveball command in the first inning but his “fastball was up there velocity wise”. He sat 86-88 MPH and touched 89 MPH on a couple occasions. What made him so dominating was his deceptive low 3/4 delivery and his fastball command to all quadrants of the strike zone. During one stretch between the second and sixth inning he retired 11 consecutive batters.
His offense supported him in the first inning off Rhode Island-commit Bobby Vath.
Matt Brown-Eiring smacks an RBI double to left and a wild pitch gives Connetquot a 2-0 lead. Newfield coming to bat pic.twitter.com/SGKbvjreYY
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2018
Stony Brook-commit Derek Yalon got things started with a one-out single through the left side, he moved to scoring position on a single by Ciaren McGinnis. Vath struck out Nick Ungar on an 86-MPH fastball but then left a hanger to Matt Brown-Eiring who smoked one to left field. It initially looked like it could roll all the way for a 3-R shot but a softball player touched it on the other field and the umpire ruled it a ground-rule double which scored only one run. A second run wound up scoring on a wild pitch.
Vath settled in nicely after that, allowing just an RBI single to Alex Ungar in the second inning to score Chris Amato who hit a one-out single.
That was really all Savino needed, as he basically tranquilized the Wolverine’s lineup who had entered riding a four-game winning streak with 36 runs. Savino proved he is one of he top pitchers in the county and certainly someone that will garner plenty of interest from Div-I programs this summer.
Alex Ungar had himself quite a day as well. He had two hits, was intentionally walked and also made the defensive play of the game. In the bottom of the sixth, a leadoff single by Dom Spinelli and a wild pitch put him in scoring position. Kyle Johnson advanced him to third with a ground out and Mike Prisco followed with a well-struck line drive that looked like an RBI single off the bat. Ungar not only made a diving play but also doubled off Spinelli at third to end the inning and take the wind out of Newfield’s sail.
Savino went 1-2-3 in the seventh to seal the deal. The victory, coupled with an upset of No. 17 Bay Shore over No. 1 Smithtown East means that No. 9 Connetquot will get a home game tomorrow. Once they received word of the upset, the team was cheering in the dugout knowing they will get a home game.
I had mentioned preseason that Connetquot was an up-and-coming team that was a playoff team this year but a year away from being a contender for Suffolk County Class AA champions. I might be wrong that they are a year away.
