by Nicholas Cipolla
Interview with the winning pitcher of tonights game, John Schneider pic.twitter.com/uWj7ZsU0Mb
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 16, 2021
During today’s midweek battle at Stony Brook, the East End Aviators starting pitcher had one big thing on his mind that helped motivate him throughout the game, a test he has to take tomorrow morning.
John Schneider told us postgame “I wanted to make it a quick game, I have a big test tomorrow.” and he did just that. Schneider had a great showing tonight, keeping it very quick as he allowed very few runners to reach base and was getting ahead of hitters early in the count.
Schneider also received a lot of insurance runs early in the game with a big first inning. A two RBI single by Jackson Loper opened up the scoring for the Aviators who batted through the order in the first inning. After the next two batters walked, Riley Hermann hit an RBI single to knock in Loper to make it 3-0 Aviators. Nick Daleo was hit by a pitch, knocking in the fourth run of the inning.
The highlight of the inning was when Andrew Criollo hit an RBI double to deep center field. The Aviators were able to get two of the three runners home as the runner from first was thrown out at the plate on a spectacular relay by the Titans defense.
That was all the run support Schneider needed as he was in control of the game from that moment on. He went the distance today, throwing 7 innings allowing only two runs and 6 hits and four strikeouts to go with it.
Schneider was able to get a lot of routine fly balls and grounders when he needed them and the defense played a clean game. They were able to take advantage of Schneider pitching to contact and his ability to get batters out when he needed to.
A key moment from the Aviators defensively was when Jackson Loper made a play in the fourth inning with two outs. Miles Maldonado of the Titans hit a two out single with runners on second and third. Instead of getting two runs out of it, Loper threw a strike to the catcher at home plate, throwing out the runner trying to score from second to end the frame and preventing the game to be within three runs.
The last run of the game scored on a dropped third strike in the fifth inning making it 7-2.
Final: East End Aviators: 7 Long Island Titans: 2.
John Schneider pitches a complete game allowing only 2 runs with 4 strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/lB9k66bhPb
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 16, 2021
For the Titans, Miles Maldonado was a one man show on offense today as he knocked in the only two runs for the Titans today with a pair of RBI singles with one coming in the second inning and the latter coming in the fourth.
