FINAL: MacArthur 1 Plainedge 0
WP: Chris Roach (CG, 2H, 0ER, 16K) pic.twitter.com/OQ4powmQVt
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 15, 2019
The Class A playoffs are officially underway in Nassau County, as 16 teams began their quest for a County Championship on Wednesday afternoon.
In Levittown, the #9 seeded Plainedge Red Devils took on the #8 seeded MacArthur Generals. It was MacArthur who got the best of Plainedge, walking away with a slim 1-0 victory.
Considering it was game one of the playoffs, both coaches called upon their aces to take the hill.
For MacArthur, senior Chris Roach was handed the ball. The first at-bat of the game, he surrendered a single to Anthony Labita. However, he rebounded instantly as he struck out the next three batters. He went the distance in this one, allowing just two hits, no earned runs, two walks and struck out 16.
“Coming in strong my curve ball was on I really had my location down, our defense made plays when we needed them,” said Roach.
Coach Fratrik sent ace Nick Incalcaterra to the hill for Plainedge. Through the first inning, it was evident Incalcaterra brought his best stuff with him to the ballpark. Unfortunately, he was hit in the hand on a comeback line drive to begin the 2nd inning. As a result, he was forced to exit the game.
Through the first three innings, Roach recorded seven strikeouts. The only factor missing from his dominant performance was run support. Mike Schock did a great job out in relief for Plainedge, as he threw five innings allowing one earned run.
With a runner on second and one out, Justin DeMaria delivered an RBI single to left field, driving in the go ahead run in the bottom of the 3rd. The one-run cushion was all Roach needed.
Plainedge threatened a few times throughout the game with runners on base, but they weren’t able to capitalize. Their main opportunity came in the 7th inning, in which they left the tying run in scoring position. When it was all said and done, Chris Roach had the performance of his career and MacArthur walked away with a 1-0 victory.
With the win, MacArthur faces South Side in the winners bracket. As for Plainedge, they face the top seeded Garden City Trojans in the losers bracket.
