LIB defeats Freedom Baseball 8-0. Here is LIB’s starting pitcher Sadier Vicioso who threw four innings, gave up 2 hits, and allowed no runs. pic.twitter.com/t117hUjDRs
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 15, 2019
Long Island Baseball Quiroz continued their dominant playoff run Thursday night at Hofstra University. LIB defeated Freedom Baseball, 8-0 in a 14u American League semifinals matchup behind a dominant pitching performance by Sadier Vicioso. Through their first three playoff games, LIB has outscored opponents by a total of 26 runs.
Vicioso threw four scoreless innings, recorded eight strikeouts and allowed only two hits. Vicioso says his success tonight is because both his fastball and offspeed were working.
“They couldn’t hit my fastball, they were swinging through the curveball,” Vicioso said.
The only time he found himself in a jam was in the top of the fourth inning. Freedom Baseball had their heart of the order up and three-hitter Jayden Rosario started the inning off with a single to right field, Freedom Baseball’s first hit of the game. Ryan Shih drew a walk and after a fielder’s choice out hit by Michael Peters, Jake Pennino loaded the bases with a single. With one out and the bases loaded, Vicioso escaped the jam by striking out Yerence Liegey and forcing Ben Rosenberg to ground out to second base.
For LIB, their offense came through early and often. Nicholas Quiroz scored LIB’s first run of the game on an RBI single by Vinny Giambona in the bottom of the 1st. LIB tacked on two more in the inning on a ground ball to second baseman Ben Nosovitch. Nosovitch threw the ball home for the first out of the inning, Shih overthrew his first basement on the double-play attempt. Nick Petrelli and Caleb Aurelien came around to score on the play. James Mckeough, Freedom Baseball’s starter, stopped the bleeding at 3-0 by forcing an inning-ending double play.
LIB’s offense was quiet in the second, but with the top of the order up in the third LIB scored four more. Quiroz started things off with a walk and he stole second and third base. Giambona walked and a balk by Mckeough advanced Giambona to second and scored Quiroz. Giambona scored on a Petrelli RBI single. Aurelien knocked a single immediately after and both him and Petrelli scored on a single by MJ Grastron. After the single, Ben Rosenberg came into pitch with two on and one out. Rosenberg struck out back-to-back hitters to end the inning.
LIB scored one more in the top of the fifth on a Jayson Torres RBI single, but where Torres shined late in the game was on the mound.
Torres threw three no-hit innings in, struck out three, and allowed one base runner to close out the game for LIB.
LIB takes on the Islip Owls in the 14u American League Championship Saturday.
