by Salvatore D’Onofrio
LIB keeps the pressure on by scoring 5 in the 3rd to extend the lead to 9-0. pic.twitter.com/OXD4DNyqJv
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 13, 2020
On a muggy Thursday morning at the Baseball Heaven Complex, the Long Island Baseball (LIB) and the Long Island Scouts Academy 18U/College team took the field knowing that both games were must win games as the season comes to an end and playoffs are around the corner. Both teams were able to come out with a victory. Here is how it happened.
Game 1:
Long Island Baseball attacked first by putting the pressure on opposing starting pitcher Devin Rooney. NYIT-commit Garrett Scavelli was able to get on base with a one-out base-hit to left-field. Starting pitcher for LIB Jake Lombardi was able to help himself with a double to score Scavelli and take an early 1-0 lead.
In the top half of the second inning, Lombardi got into some trouble by walking in a run with the bases loaded to tie the game at 1-1. Lombardi limited the damage to just that by retiring the next three batters and not allowing a run.
Kevin Buback was able to hit a ball through the infield that scored two runs for LIB and take the lead back 3-1.
In the top half of the third, the Scouts Academy were not able to capitalize on bases-loaded with no outs after Lombardi loaded the bases by hitting all three batters. Lombardi was able to settle down and strike out the next two batters. He got his final batter to retire from a great play by the shortstop and NYIT-commit JJ Devito.
After no damage for either team in the fourth, Scouts Academy turned it on in the fifth. The Scouts Academy were able to get runners on the corner after an E6 and HBP. An RBI single by Rob Burgos, stolen base of home by his brother and New Paltz-commit Brian Burgos, and an RBI walk by Kevin Callahan gave the Scouts Academy a 4-3 lead.
This is all the Scouts Academy and Devin Rooney needed.
Rooney threw 5 ⅓ innings, 6 K and 3 runs earned. He was commanding both sides of the plate and featured a dominant curveball that he was throwing in any count.
LIB was able to fight back in the bottom half of the sixth by getting runners on second and third with no outs. 2024 prospect Nick Zampieron came in to relieve Rooney with one out and the game winning runs in scoring position. Zampieron was able to strike out the final two batters and seal the victory in game 1 for the Scouts Academy.
“We were fighting back and forth all game,” said Coach Kyle Mclaughlin after the game. “We had a lot of fun out there and I am happy with the way the boys performed”, Mclaughlin said.
Game 2:
In game two, the LIB bats came to life and they never looked back.
Attacking early in the first, NYIT-commits JJ Devito and Garrett Scavelli hit back to back doubles to take an early 1-0 lead. North Greenville- commit Zach Zarra got in on the action by hitting his own double that stretched the lead to 2-0.
Burgos was able to lead-off the offense for Scouts Academy with a triple that nearly left the yard. After trying to take up, Justin Mazovec threw out Burgos at home on a bang-bang play to hold the Scouts Academy scoreless.
The attack increased in the second inning by LIB with a home run from Stevenson-commit Joe Apuzzo. Kevin Buback and Scavelli both hit ground rule doubles to knock in three more runners for LIB. After a Chris Deveau RBI walk, the lead was extended 6-0 after two innings.
The runs did not stop for LIB in the third and fourth inning. LIB was able to tack on 7 more insurance runs in the final two innings with RBI hits by Devito, Scavelli, Buback, Deveau and Sean Baker.
Starting pitcher Ryan Whitaker was dominating for LIB as he did not give up a run, in his complete game shut-out 13-0 victory. He was mixing his pitches very well and pounding the bottom of the zone with his fastball.
Long Island Baseball (13-3) will conclude their regular season with a doubleheader Saturday vs Bonnie-Jays 18U team. On Sunday, the Long Island Scouts Academy (1-14) will look to bounce back against the Bonnie-Jays 18U team as well.
