by Ben Diamond
Game 1:
The talk of game one was the offense for both teams. The LI Jr Ducks scored first in the first inning on an RBI single by Christian Valenti. But the Longhorns struck back right away later in the inning putting up three runs on a 3-run home run by Cole Paulsen. The Ducks would end up coming back from the small deficit, and the two teams would go back and forth until the 5th inning, when the Ducks would break the game open. 3 RBI’s coming from Nolan Carnaccio, and a huge grand slam off the bat of Jayden Robinson gave the Ducks the lead they would not give up.
Although in the bottom of the 6th, the Longhorns did put up a fight. Down 14-6 in their final chance to bat, the Longhorns put up 4 runs and left the bases loaded, ending the game at a much closer 14-10.
The pitching didn’t offer much in this game as both teams scored in the double digits. The Duck’s starter, Nolan Carnaccio was pulled from the game in the middle of the second inning after surrendering 4 early runs, while Longhorn’s starter Michael McGlynn was pulled after 4 innings, giving up 5 runs, on 5 hits, with 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. The Longhorn’s bullpen arms didn’t fare well, giving up a combined 9 runs in only 2 innings.
On the Longhorn’s some notable hitters include Richie Oakley who went 2-2 with 2 singles. Nicky Mauceri went 2-3 with 2 singles. Cole Paulsen went 1-2 with a 3-run home run, 2 walks, and 4 RBI’s in total. Josh Rosenblatt went 3-3 with 2 singles, a home run, and two RBI’s. And finally Joseph Laspisa who went 2-3 with a single and an RBI. On the Ducks side, Lucas McDermott went 3-4 with 3 singles. Christian Valenti went 1-3 with an RBI single. Jayden Robinson went 2-4 with a single and a huge grand slam. Nolan Carnaccio went 1-4 with a single and 3 RBI’s, and Tyler Cohen went 1-2 with a single, a sac fly, a walk, and two RBI’s.
Game 2:
Post Game Interview with Longhorns Coach: pic.twitter.com/6KMqfborO1
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 10, 2021
Game 2 was the polar opposite of game 1. In this game the offense was all on the side of the Longhorns. The Longhorns scored 4 runs early in the game continuing the offense they ended game 1 with, and then they scored two more runs in the late innings securing them the 6-0 shutout victory. But on the Ducks side, their only offense came from a Christian Valenti triple in the 1st inning, and a Nolan Carnaccio single in the 5th inning. Huge offensive contributors for the Longhorns were Grayson Aristy who went 2-2 with 2 singles and a walk. Cole Paulsen who also went 2-2 with 2 singles and a walk, but also had 3 RBI’s. Josh Rosenblatt went 2-2 with 2 singles and an RBI.
Grayson Aristy not only helped on the offensive side of game 2, but also on the mound. Artistry put on a premiere performance on the bump throwing a complete game 6 IP shutout, only allowing 2 hits while striking out 2. His coach even said he is very talented and has a great mix of three pitches, all of which were on point in game 2. On the other side, Ducks starter Mike Garcia didn’t have as much success. Although he was able to go the distance, he didn’t have a similar line to Aristry. Garcia’s final line was 6IP, 6ER, 9H, 4BB, in the 6-0 loss.
