Centereach Clinches First Postseason Berth in 12 Years

Congratulations to Centereach who defeated Smithtown East in extra innings to clinch their first postseason berth since 2010 pic.twitter.com/xX8F8V0Ap1

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 4, 2022

They’ve been waiting on this for a long time.

Even the clinching game was spread out over 24 hours after Tuesday’s scheduled game lasted nearly 3 hours and was suspended due to darkness. Upon the continuation of the game on Wednesday at Centereach, the Cougars scored a run in the top of the eighth on a sac fly by Dom Persichilli to score Burke Sheehan. That was the pitching duo as well – but in reverse order. Sheehan started and went 5+ innings, before giving way to Persichilli who pitched the final 3 innings over the course of two days to seal the 6-5 victory. Centereach last made the postseason in 2010 – which was the second of back-to-back League III titles for the Cougars under previous head coach Michael Herrschaft.

The game very nearly slipped away for the Cougars.

They jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead on Tuesday against Smithtown East ace RHP Ben Kennedy. An RBI double by sophomore Logan Norman scored Chris Phillips and was followed by a three-run shot by catcher Ben Licata to open up a 4-0 lead. With Burke Sheehan on the mound, they felt very confident in their chances – even against a high-powered lineup like the Bulls.

Top 1: Catcher Ben Licata crushes a 3-R shot to open up a 4-0 lead for Centereach pic.twitter.com/eT9DlkJMRp

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 3, 2022

Smithtown East got one back in the home half of the first on an RBI single by Chris Goohs to score the dangerous James Ackerman.

In the top of the second, Centereach added a run on an RBI single by Persichilli to score Chris Phillips. This seemed like a huge run at the time considering the previous batter flew out to center and the runner at third failed to tag up. With the 5-1 lead, the Cougars had some breathing room for the time being.

Unfortunately, their bats went cold the rest of the game which allowed the Bulls to chip away. They scored twice in the fourth inning on back-to-back RBI ground outs to the second basemen by Luke Ciminiello and Tyler Pennisi.

Both teams went scoreless in the fifth inning which set the stage for a very long and dramatic sixth inning.

Sheehan went to the mound and induced a ground ball to third which was botched to let Ackerman reach safely. The next batter, Chris Goohs, ripped a single to center. With a playoff spot on the line, Coach Pete Cammarata went to his ace, and the next game’s starting pitcher, Dom Persichilli to put out the fire. He struck out Christian Villacci, on a very generous strike three call for the first out. The next batter, Luke Ciminiello, ripped a game-tying two-run triple to right center to invigorate his team and take the wind out of Centereach’s sail. Fortunately for Centereach, Persichilli pulled a Houdini act escaping without allowing another run as he struck out Matt Wild with the bases loaded to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Centereach stranded two runners on base which kept the game tied. Persichilli went back out for the seventh and fired a 1-2-3 inning to bring the game to extras.

But wait.

The umpires and coaches convened. It was roughly 7:15pm and sundown was 7:40pm. There was about 25 minutes left of light but the umpires decided to call it a day and resume the next day – much to the chagrin of both teams who already had a game scheduled and the forecast was looking dreary.

I was unable to make it on Wednesday afternoon to Centereach where the game was continued. The rain did hold off, and good fortunes were on the side of Centereach – who scored a run in the top of the eighth and Persichilli fired a scoreless eighth to make it hold up.

Centereach improved to 9-4 on the season – clinching that elusive playoff spot. Three times in the past four seasons, they needed just one win to qualify for a postseason berth and were unable to accomplish it. It hurt especially bad in 2018 when they defeated MLB draft pick Franklin Parra to get within one win but lost the final two. This year was different, as they rode the arms of Persichilli and Burke Sheehan.

It may seem like no big deal, but when a postseason drought lingers it can hover like a dark cloud and creep into the mind’s of the players and coaches alike. As a Centereach graduate I can attest to this. During my career, we constantly were reminded that the team hadn’t made the playoffs since 1991 and it was then 2009. We were able to stay focused and not let the doubt impact our play and won the League III title my senior year. So, congratulations to the players and coaches who put in the necessary work to get over the proverbial hump.

In Game 2 of the double header, they might have rested on their laurels a bit as the Bulls came out swinging and won 11-0 behind a gem by James Ackerman.

In League 3, Centereach is currently in fourth place behind Connetquot (13-1), Smithtown East (10-4) and Newfield (12-5).  The Cougars will finish their league schedule next week against Hills East (5-8)