GAME RECAP: Jack Costello Fires Gem, Pat-Med Pulls Off Upset at No. 1 Connetquot

🚨 Upset Alert 🚨

Final: Pat-Med 3, Connetquot 2
WP: Jack Costello (CG, 1 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks)

Rob Melo: RBI single
Jack Costello: sac fly
Bryan Frascogna: RBI single

Pat-Med will play the winner of Ward Melville-Longwood on Saturday pic.twitter.com/T6NLwIJdH6

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2023

Baseball is a unique game filled with quirks and statistical oddities. Here’s one for you: three times since 2003, Connetquot was the No.1 seed in the Suffolk AA postseason and were defeated by Pat-Med at home. There’s no rhyme or reason to that, each team was comprised of entirely different players but each time the Raiders were able to do something exceptionally difficult – beat one of the best teams on Long Island on their own turf.

Pat-Med certainly hasn’t flown under-the-radar this season by any means. They have one of the best prep arms in the country in Josh Knoth, but it’s fair to say the rest of the team hasn’t received the same level of attention that Connetquot has. The T-Birds are the top-seed in Conference-I, they were 18-2 during the regular season and have a seasoned team with over a dozen seniors.

They sent senior RHP Nolan Britt to the mound against Pat-Med LHP Jack Costello. Early on, the offenses came to play.

The Raiders scored in the top of the first on an RBI single by Bryan Frascogna. The first two batters were retired but Mike Lazaridis and Jayden Kennedy drew back-to-back walks which allowed Frascogna to come to the plate.

After Costello fired a scoreless inning, Pat-Med’s bats went back to work. They added two more runs thanks to a sac fly off the bat of Costello and an RBI single by Army-commit Rob Melo. With the score 3-0, it was certainly not looking great for Connetquot but this is an offense that scores close to 10 runs per game.

They got one back right away, when St. John’s-commit Ryan Kiendle drew a walk and Rob Page singled to left. After a perfect sac bunt by Scott Northrop, Justin Wilkinson hit an RBI ground out to second to bring in Kiendle. 

After that, both pitchers settled in. Neither pitcher allowed a run in the third or fourth innings.

Connetquot was able to take advantage of a miscue by Pat-Med in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Cerone led off and reached on an E6 and a ground out advanced him to second. Rocco Armenia popped a single to left field and Erick Duignan scored Cerone with an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-2. A courtly base running error followed though, as Costello caught Duignan napping and picked him off first to end the inning.

Pat-Med LHP Jack Costello fired a complete game against top-seeded Connetquot on the road in a 3-2 win for the Raiders. He allowed 6 hits and 1 ER @GCsports pic.twitter.com/pQukaNHrgP

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2023

Costello was able to bear down in the later innings as he sensed a complete game was within grasp. He worked around a single to Justin Wilkinson with two outs in the sixth inning and he worked around a one out walk to Anthony Scarabino and single to Rocco Armenia in the 7th. He ended the game with a fly out to center.

With the victory, Pat-Med will face Longwood on Saturday and Connetquot will look to stave off elimination tomorrow.