Final (8 innings): Northport 8, Bay Shore 6
WP: Jason SchwartzRocco Stola drove in the game winning runs with a 2-run double in the eighth pic.twitter.com/LWJKccIYXo
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2021
By the time Rocco Stola laced a two-run double to right center field to score the go-ahead runs for Northport, the first inning was nothing but a distant memory. We had already seen a game-tying, two-strike, go-ahead home run in the previous inning and a game-tying error in the previous half inning that briefly put a scare in the Tigers.
Northport would go on to hold on, by the score of 8-6 over previously undefeated Bay Shore, to improve to 5-2 on the season.
All told, it was an intense game between two outstanding ballclubs on Tuesday afternoon in Bay Shore. The Marauders came out of the gate swinging against Tigers RHP Liam Fodor, who entered with a 1.00 ERA over two complete game wins – and is one of the top pitchers in the county.
After Fodor retired the leadoff batter of the game, he walked Jason Ambos and allowed a single up the middle by Coltrane Calloway. Darnell Guerrero reached on an E3 to bring home Ambos for the first run of the game. Calloway then executed a steal of home on the back end of a double steal. After starting pitcher Chris Rouleau struck out, his brother ripped an RBI double over the third baseman’s head to bring home Guerrero and make it 3-0. He later scored on an RBI single up the middle by Kevin Minaya to make it 4-0.
Rouleau went back out and fired a 1-2-3 second inning with a strikeout.
In the bottom of the second, the first batter reached on an E5 on a routine grounder that was botched. At that moment in time, it simply appeared that it was not Northport’s day – even with their ace on the mound, they were down 4-0 on the road against a dominant pitcher in Rouleau having retired the first six batters to face him with 5 innings to go.
That’s baseball.
From that point on, Fodor settled in and was his usual self, aside from a solo shot in the third inning from Darnell Guerrero.
Northport got on the board in the third inning when Fodor reached on a double to left center field and scored on a wild pitch with Rocco Stola at the plate. He slid head first – always a risky proposition for a pitcher, but you just got the sense nothing was going to deter him on this day. He threw up a zero in the fourth inning and it allowed his team to get another run back – this time another wild pitch that scored Tom Tini to make it 5-2. Rouleau avoided further damage, though, as he induced a comebacker to the mound to end the fifth inning with the 5-2 lead.
Looking for some insurance runs, Bay Shore had no such luck as Fodor set down the side in order in the fifth inning with two strikeouts and worked around a leadoff single to center by Matt Rouleau in the sixth inning.
Now the fun began.
Down to their final strike, Northport has come storming back to take a 6-5 lead in the 7th on a 2-R Shot by Will Deriso off the scoreboard in left! pic.twitter.com/D50lbPwrZl
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2021
Rouleau entered the seventh at 98 pitches. The pitch-limit is 105 so he had more. He went back out promptly walked the first two batters on 8 pitches. Bay Shore replaced him with LHP Hayden Preston. He hit Stola on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. But he was able to settle down for the next two batters and calmly induce a ground out back to the mound – which scored a run – and a ground out to third – which scored another – but at least the Marauders had traded two runs for two outs and were on the cusp of escaping with a win. Up stepped Will Diriso. After going to two strikes, he turned on one and unleashed a mammoth fly ball that hit the scoreboard in left field to give the Tigers the 6-5 lead and it resulted in bedlam for his bench as they were overcome with excitement. Preston struck out the next batter to escape the inning but the damage was done.
In the seventh, Fodor was also approaching the pitch limit and the top of the order was coming up. He was able to induce a ground out to third off the bat of Ty Panariello and a ground out to shortstop off the bat of Jason Ambos. With two outs, he got one strike away but Calloway laid off a tough change up to bring it to 3-2 and then laced on to right field to keep the game alive. The next batter, Darnell Guerrero fell behind 0-2 before lacing a single to center to pass the baton to Chris Rouleau. At this point, Fodor’s day was done and he gave way to Jason Schwartz. Chris Rouleau hit a grounder to third that should’ve ended the game but it was botched, and then thrown away to allow Calloway to come around and score the game-tying run. It sent up Matt Rouleau who drew a walk to load the bases. That brought up Kevin Minaya. He fouled off a couple tough pitches with two strikes but credit to Schwartz, who was able to compartmentalize the situation and strike him out even in the hostile environment.
It sent the game to extra innings. Northport did not wait to score. After two walks and a single by Tini, Stola ripped the game-breaking two-run opposite field double to score two runs and give his team the 8-6 lead.
Schwartz went back out for the 8th and after a leadoff single, he struck out the next three batters to slam the door on the victory. It was the first loss of the season for Bay Shore, who still appear to be one of the most complete teams in the country but Northport is awfully resilient and very tough to beat with Fodor on the mound.
