Final: Center Moriches 3, John Glenn 0
WP: Jordan Falco (CG, 2 H, 3 BB, 11 K)Playoff picture still to be determined depending on result of Babylon game pic.twitter.com/12hqVIP4cC
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 11, 2021
In 2018 and 2019 when Center Moriches were at the peak of their powers, senior day was a celebration of the players that contributed to the program over the previous years and helped build the program up to one of the best Class B teams in the region.
This year, it was a celebration for the senior player (singular) that was a part of both of those teams. But it was no time to celebrate, as they had a game to win. The Center Moriches Red Devils, winners of the Class B New York State Championship in 2018 and ’19 entered the final day of the regular season needing to win and get help in order to make the final postseason spot.
They relied on their lone senior, Jordan Falco, to hold down a tough John Glenn team that entered one game ahead of them. For Glenn, the playoff situation was situation straight forwards – win and you’re in. For Center Moriches, who was one game behind both Glenn and Babylon, they needed to win, have Babylon lose and hope the committee gave them the nod. They will meet and release their decision at 12pm on Monday.
As for Falco, he was outstanding. He did his part – firing a CG shutout, two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in their 3-0 win that kept their hopes alive. He noted that the day was special for him.
“Today was very special for me in the fact that my whole family got to attend including my brother who just got back from his season, my grandparents from both sides, even some alumni and my basketball coach. I’m very thankful that I had the support of everyone throughout the year to make it as best of a senior year as possible,” he added.
Falco was lights out all day, but particularly the first three innings when he carved through the lineup – going 9 up, 9 down.
He struck out one in the first inning, two in the second and three in the third.
His counterpart, uncommitted junior Cole Lindquist struggled out of the gate. He loaded the bases with 0 out in the first inning, but was able to bear down and strike out the next three batters in succession to avoid any damage. In the second inning, though, it was the opposite. He retired the first two batters before getting into trouble. Back-to-back singles by Joe Hiller and Gavin DeRosa set the stage for Louie Iannacchino. The junior absolutely crushed a three-run HR to get the Red Devils on the board.
With the way Falco was throwing it appeared to be more than enough. In fact, the only inning the Knights got more than one runner on base was in the fourth. He hit Joey Patane to start the inning and walked Ryan Desmond for his first test of the afternoon. He struck out Michael Zeis and got Chris Carnevale to fly out to right. During the next at bat a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Falco was able to strike out his counterpart to end the jam and maintain the 3-0 lead.
Lindquist was able to settle in and didn’t allow a run the rest of the day. Problem is, the Glenn offense did not provide any support.
Falco allowed a leadoff walk to Anthony Schieble but promptly picked him off and then retired the next two batters.
Things got a little dicey in the seventh inning for him. After retiring the first two batters, he walked Schieble and allowed a bloop single to right field by Pelkofsky. With the tying run at the plate, Falco was able to make a big pitch and induce a game-ending ground out to second to end it and finish the deal on a complete game shutout. He was in complete control the whole afternoon.
With the win, Glenn, Babylon and Center Moriches are all tied at 8-10, only two can make it so we will wait and see what they decide to do for that fifth and sixth spot.
What Center Moriches has done is commendable. They have more eighth graders (2) than seniors on the team (1). They also only have two juniors. This means they’ll be young once again next year. Against some of the more high-octane opponents like Shoreham-Wading River, Bayport-Blue Point and Mount Sinai they may struggle to compete, but with their pitching, defense and coaching staff, they have been able to stay in all the other games.
In regards to winning this game, Falco said, “It’s very important to be confident in this sport which is a sport of failure and that’s what I try to instill in the younger guys everyday by not letting their mistakes ruin their practice or game. By saying little things like ‘I’ll pick you up’ or ‘get the next one’ can really help stay confident in their abilities. Today’s win was huge for them moving forward. Their pitcher was one of, if not the best we have seen all year and getting a win off of him is a big accomplishment for them. This game felt like a playoff game and that’s what this team needs for moving forward because they have so much potential to bring championships back to Center Moriches.”
