Some familiar names were on display in today’s Boys of Summer-Perfect Game Collegiate League double header at Brentwood State Park between the Steel Collegiates and LI Strong. Despite fielding a team of primarily 2021 graduates, Steel looked like a team mature beyond their years and executed well in all aspects of the game.
It starts with pitching and they performed in spaces. Here’s how it went down:
Game 1
Tyler O’Neill took the mound for the Steel Collegiates. He is fresh off winning Nassau Conference II Pitcher of the Year for Mepham. He picked up right where he left off, but before he took the mound he was staked to a 1-0 lead. Joe Sanguedolce (St. Joseph’s) led off with a single to right and scored on Billy Kender’s RBI double. It was a huge day for Kender – teammate of O’Neill at Mepham and future teammate at Bucknell. LI Strong’s RHP Ben Sacks was uncomfortable with the mound all day, and he was struggling to find his footing. He was able to settle down after the first three batters reached and struck out the next three batters in succession to put out the fire.
O’Neill took the mound and was lights out from the first pitch. He struck out Julian Belardo (Penn State Harrisburg), Corey Tingo (Queens) and Brad Sakellarides (Queens) in the first inning.
In the top of the second, Steel went back to work. Bobby Molinaro (Adelphi) led off with a walk and advanced on a comebacker. After a wild pitch, Hayden Leiderman (Roslyn) grounded out to first to score Molinaro. Leiderman is coming off an historic season for Roslyn as he pitched the entire regular season (40.0 IP) without giving up an earned run.
LI Strong got their first base runner with one out in the second on an infield single off the bat of Elian Pimental (Herkimer). O’Neill failed to cover the base or it would’ve been a routine ground out. After a strikeout, Ben Osborne (Mansfield) drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Strong had an opportunity to get on the board but O’Neill was able to strikeout Ethan Angress (CCNY) to end the jam. It was a crucial moment of the game, as O’Neill was able to snuff out the rally.
O’Neill works around an infield single, walk + wild pitch to strand a pair in the second inning. He’s got 6 strikeouts through 2
End of 2: Steel 2, Strong 0 pic.twitter.com/46YqA8lRIK
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 27, 2021
In the top of the third, Steel extended their lead to 4-0. Things got started with a leadoff single by Ryan Thompson (East Islip) and a walk to Sanguedolce. After a flyout to center by Jackson Sattinger (Hamilton). Billy Kender came through again with a two-run single to right center to score both runners and advance on the throw.
Billy Kender with another RBI hit – this time a 2-R single to right center and advances to second on the throw. Steel lead 4-0 in the third pic.twitter.com/f2uhTfyjN7
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 27, 2021
O’Neill worked around a one-out walk to Jake Parisi (Manhattanville) to strike out the next batter and end the inning on a fly out to right.
The game was broken open in the fourth inning. John Rizzo (East Islip) started it off with a single to right and scored on an RBI double by Bobby Molinaro to left center. Thomas Gray (Mount St. Vincent) followed with an RBI double of his own. The next two batters were retired but Ryan Thompson came through with an RBI single to right and another run scored on an error off the bat of Sanguedolce.
With the score 8-0 and O’Neill in control, the outcome was not in question. O’Neill fired up another goose egg in the fourth inning with a strikeout to send his offense back in the dugout. They added two more runs – one on an RBI double by Tyler Smith (The Stony Brook School) and a sac fly off the bat of Molinaro.
O’Neill made one mistake and it went for a solo shot off the bat of Danny Deutsch (Queens). After that, he recorded a strikeout and a ground out to first to end it. He finished with 9 strikeouts and allowed just two hits.
Game 2
John Rizzo fired five shutout innings in Game 2 of today’s double header sweep over LI Strong. He spoke about his performance and looking back on capturing the Long Island Championship last week pic.twitter.com/breAZt6Vli
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 27, 2021
John Rizzo took the mound for Steel. His last start was a memorable one – a complete game in the Long Island Championship game for East Islip against Bethpage. He had a remarkable season and probably has a gripe about not winning the Paul Gibson Award. Undefeated, Long Island Champ, two strikeouts per inning and a sub 1.00 ERA should be enough in most years. In any event, he picked up right where he left off – throwing an effortless 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout.
Bobby DiCapua (Bentley) got the start for the Strong. Last time we saw him was during the 2019 season pitching for West Islip. The previous year, he led them to the Suffolk County Championship as a sophomore. He did not have his best stuff today – Steel scored in the first inning on another RBI double by Kender (his fourth straight hit of the day) to make it 1-0. He score Jackson Sattinger who singled. After walks to Thompson and Freddy Forgione (Maritime), DiCapua escaped further trouble with a strikeout and pop out.
In the second inning, Danny Deutsch doubled to left field with one out, but Rizzo promptly picked him off. He struck out Pimental to end the inning with his third strikeout of the game.
In the home half of the second, Steel broke it open. Gold Glove Award winner Peter DeVito (Eastport-South Manor) doubled to right to open the inning and he advanced to third on a single by Hamilton. Patrick Dallas (Pat-Med) singled to score DeVito and then Sattinger drove them both in with a three-run shot to center to make it 5-0. DiCapua retired the next two batters to end the frame.
Rizzo threw a 1-2-3 third inning with his fourth strikeout of the game to send his offense back into the dugout.
Steel broke it open in the third with singles by Forgione, Molinaro and Peter DeVito. Hamilton ripped an RBI single but Molinaro was thrown out attempting to score. Patrick Dallas hit another RBI single to make it 7-0.
The fourth inning was Rizzo’s most dominant inning as he struck out the side (all swinging) to bring his K total to seven on the afternoon.
That was all for the scoring as Tyler Soloman (Bridgeport) threw a scoreless fifth inning for the Strong and Jackson Sattinger came on in relief to throw a scoreless inning to end the game.
Following the game, Rizzo was pleased with his performance and the way his team played. It’s his first week with the Steel after playing his travel ball with the Junior Ducks for several years.
