Final: Bellport 7, Newfield 0
WP: Danny Rubin (CG shutout, 6 Ks) pic.twitter.com/aRKqeZR4bN— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 13, 2023
When these two teams squared off a couple weeks ago, it was Newfield that came away with the victory. As fate would have it, the same two pitchers squared off – and that was freshman Brandon Seddio for Newfield and senior Dan Rubin of Bellport.
When asked if that familiarity provided a competitive advantage, Dan Rubin did not hesitate to say yes it did. He worked quickly and efficiently and he fired a two-hit shutout with 6 strikeouts over the 2021 Long Island Champs. Rubin only really got into one jam and that was in the top of the sixth inning when he allowed a hit to Scott Whitbeck and walked Matt Hesselbirg and Dylan Alberto to loa the bases. He wound up inducing a weak infield pop out to end the jam and get his team back in the dugout.
At the time of that rally, Bellport had a comfortable but not insurmountable 4-0 lead. In the home half of the inning, the Clippers added three more runs highlighted by RBI singles by Michael Frankie, Jack Russo as well as Logan Alberto.
That put the game firmly out of reach with the way that Rubin was pitching. He allowed just a HBP of a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 7th to finish what he started and seal the deal with the complete game shutout.
Bellport LHP Dan Rubin fired a complete game 2-hit shutout with 6 strikeouts and he also notched two hits at the plate including an RBI single in the third. He is our Player of the Game Powered by @GCsports pic.twitter.com/PnwCb5dXIU
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 14, 2023
Early in the game, each pitcher traded zeros for the first two innings before Bellport broke through with two runs thanks to a rally that started by No. 8 hitter Michael Frankie. He singled to right field, stole second and scored on an RBI double by Logan Alberto. Additionally, Dan Rubin helped himself with an RBI single to make it 2-0 – which turned out to be all he would need. He got two insurance runs in the home half of the fourth by Brandon Maler on an RBI single to right and also a sac fly to center by Jack Russo to make it 4-0.
Rubin was dominant, and perhaps it’s a sign that Bellport is rounding into shape as a team. They improved to 3-5 on the season after getting off to an uneven start to the season. They have 9 seniors, so the experience is there. They will be looking to stay hot next when they face Smithtown East in a three-game set beginning on Monday.
