Longwood head coach Ryan McSherry following the playoff victory pic.twitter.com/ApxJZKSYaB
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 24, 2022
Well I guess they won’t want me covering any more Commack games. The Cougars, who had been riding an 18-game winning streak since their last loss on April 5 – which was when we last covered them – lost 4-3 to Longwood which forces a winner-take-all Conference I Championship today.
Longwood brought their bats in the first inning against Stony Brook-commit Eric Mohr. Devin Montalvo led the game off with a walk and he was sacrificed to second base by Mike Arbuiso and he scored on Louis Kaleb’s RBI single to make it 1-0. Mason Mehling went the other way with a single and Preston Gerena scored Kaleb with an RBI single of his own to make it 2-0. After the second out was recorded, Brendan Mair added another run on an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-0 in favor of the Lions. Mohr escaped the jam with a ground out to second base by Rocco Hall.
Opposing him was RHP Sean Langan who did just enough to keep Commack off the scoreboard for the first time through the lineup. He retired the side in order in the first and second innings, and allowed just a walk to catcher Anthony Chiappetta in the bottom of the third. Mohr had settled down after the rocky first inning to keep Longwood off the board for the next several innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, Commack woke up. After Joey DiMotta grounded out, Chris McHugh laced a double into the left field corner and moved to third on an infield single by Connor Schramm. Matt McGurk ripped an RBI single to left to score McHugh and make it a 3-1 ballgame and there was still one out. Longwood went to the bullpen, calling on Brendan Mair. It proved to be the right decided as he induced an infield pop out to Mike Pulcini and struck out Alex Hildebrand looking to end the threat.
Mohr fired a 1-2-3 fifth inning to give his team a chance to comeback.
It did not happen in the fifth inning despite a two-out single by Joey Patane to center field. Mair retired DiMotta to end the inning. Mohr worked around a two-out HBP of Gerena in the sixth inning to keep them off the board again.
In the home half of the sixth, Chris McHugh drew a leadoff walk and Mike Pulcini hit a two-out single to bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate but Alex Hildebrand’s hard ground ball found Devin Montalvo who stepped on second for the easy force out.
In the top of the seventh, Brendan Mair led off with a double to left center that probably should’ve been caught but fell between the left fielder and center field. A bunt by Rocco Hall moved Mair up to third and Jake Hall did what he needed to do – driving a fly ball deep enough to score Mair and make it 4-1 ballgame.
The run proved to be the difference, as Anthony Chiappetta blooped a leadoff double to start the seventh and scored on Justin Crispino’s two-run HR to make it a 4-3 ballgame. Joey Patane ripped his second hit of the day to put the tying run on base. That was enough to prompt a pitching change – as Longwood HC Ryan McSherry called in Luciano Lorefice to put out the fire. After a walk to Joey DiMotta to add further drama, it brought up VCU-commit and arguably the best hitter on Long Island, Chris McHugh. Shockingly, McHugh popped one up in the infield for the first out. Connor Schramm struck out swinging on a high breaking ball out of the zone and Mike Pulcini struck out as well to end it.
Final: Longwood 4, Commack 3
WP: Brendan Mair
S: Luciano LoreficeWinner-take-all tomorrow at Commack for the Conference I Championship pic.twitter.com/TIjUif8h9G
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 24, 2022
Longwood was fired up, and rightfully so, as they ended Commack’s 18-game winning streak on the road. It forces a do-or-die scenario for today as it will be the classic “all hands on deck” situation. Commack will have the home field advantage again. First pitch will be 4pm.
