By James Ryder
Farmingdale wins the Labor Day Tournament! Final Score is 9-4. Here’s the final strikeout to seal it. pic.twitter.com/PVzesazIZ0
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 2, 2019
With the final days of summer upon us, many in the Baseball community are taking this time to look back on the summer that was. Reminiscing on the memories made via thrilling wins and spectacular highlights is special, especially for the kids who create those moments. Undoubtedly, summer Baseball is great because of the lasting stories that will define childhoods.
Labor Day weekend may be the official ending of summer and these games, but the Labor Day Tournament, which concluded Monday morning at Wantagh Park, will stand as another example of the continuous joy that will be brought to players as they head back to school. For the 11u Farmingdale Greendogs, they will have fond thoughts of a hard-fought 9-4 victory against the Kings Park Knights.
Collin Horowitz got the nod as the starting pitcher for Farmingdale. He finished with 8 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Also, he gave up only three runs, which was enough to allow his team to keep up offensively. The Greendogs battled the Knights at the plate for the first couple of innings. Kings Park scored the games first run in the top of the first on a wild pitch from Horowitz. Mateo Morales drew a walk to give Farmingdale their first base runner. He too scored on an error when a ball hit by Eli Sierra to 2nd base was thrown past first base. Sierra would be caught stealing second, but Andrew Dillon gave them another chance to take the lead with an infield single. He crossed the plate on an RBI double from Chris McIntyre to make it 2-1.
The first lead of the day for the Greendogs was short lived, however, as Kings Park scored another two in the second inning. Following Jimmy Stewart’s walk, Vincenzo Buffolino hit an RBI double to left-center field to tie it back up. Buffolino stole third and came home on an RBI ground out by Joe Rossi making it 3-2 Knights. In the bottom of the third, the score was tied for a final time. James Sebber hit a ground ball to third that rolled through the legs of the third baseman, allowing Mike Walsh to go home.
After a scoreless fourth, the Greendogs took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning, where they tallied six runs on four hits. Another error, a walk, and an infield single loaded the bases. Anthony Mancuso was hit by a pitch in the helmet, but thankfully was okay. He took first base and his team took the final lead of the game. With the score now 4-3, Sebber hit the ball again, this time for a 2-run double. Morales did the same only a few pitches later. Finally, Sierra’s RBI single to CF gave them their final run and a 9-3 lead.
Horowitz faced three batters in the final frame, giving up a lead off walk and a single before striking out the third batter. He was then replaced by Walsh, who allowed an RBI single to Buffolino. This was of little significance though, as Walsh struck out the next two batters to end the game. A quality start from Horowitz and timely pitching by the top of the Greendogs lineup were the difference in the Labor Day Tournament Championship game. Final Score: Farmingdale 9, Kings Park 4.
