by John Sullivan
Mid 2: Sharks plate another 5 in the second with a big thanks to this rbi triple by Frank Hernandez. They now lead 12-0 pic.twitter.com/5AYl77T6Ko
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 27, 2023
The 10u matchup between Sharks Baseball Academy was a battle of two high-powered offenses coming off huge wins in their tournament openers. Earlier in the day, the Sharks took down the LI Storm 11-1 and the Mayhem defeated the LI Storm, 19-4. Both teams would be looking to continue their success and get to 2-0 in pool play.
The Sharks offense set the tone of the game in the top of the first inning. The first 7 batters reached base for the Sharks, which led to a ridiculous 7 run inning on 7 hits. Gavin Kennedy, Jaxon Reinan, and Frank Hernandez all had RBI knocks for the sharks. The highlight of the inning came when Luke Casanova drilled a 2 run double into left field. On defense, the Sharks looked great as well, as Mark Sabbatino tossed a clean 1-2-3, inning in the bottom half of the first.
A seven-run lead was not enough to satisfy the Sharks though, as their offense exploded for another 5 runs in the second to bust the lead open to 12-0. Singles by Sean Lennon, Gavin Kennedy, Jaxon Reinan, and triples by Mark Sabbatino and Frank Hernandez were the reason for the 5 runs being scored.
Although they faced an extremely large deficit, the Merrick Mayhem were resilient and they showed it in the bottom of the second. In this inning, the Mayhem scored two runs on 3 hits. Ryan Chan got things started by a single, which was followed up by an RBI triple from Joseph Collins and a RBI single from Richie Zaikowski. Despite the Mayhem gaining momentum and their dugout beginning to get very hyped up, Sharks pitcher Mark Sabbatino was able to deliver two clutch strikeouts in a row to end the inning and keep the lead at 12-2.
The third inning was quiet for both teams, as both offenses went scoreless and only got one runner on base. But, in the fourth the action picked up again, as the Sharks scored two runs thanks to an rbi single by Jaxon Reinan, who later came around to score on a wild pitch. This made the score 14-2 and the Mayhem would need to score three runs in the bottom half to avoid the mercy rule.
Post game interview with Mark Sabatinno of Sharks Baseball Academy. He went three innings on the mound only allowing two runs. He was also 2-2 at the plate with an rbi triple and a rbi single pic.twitter.com/Y0jdorpK25
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 27, 2023
The Sharks gave the ball to Frank Hernandez to close it out, which ended Mark Sabbatino’s day on the mound with 3ip, 2r, 4ks, 3 hits, and just one walk. The Mayhem got off to a promising start in the inning after Shane Carr ripped an inside-the-park home run over the left fielder’s head. But, Frank Hernandez was able to overcome the home run and get the next three guys out with a pop up, groundout, and line out.
After the game, Sharks starting pitcher Mark Sabbatino was interviewed due to his three strong innings in the mound and single and triple at the plate. Mark said that it felt great to help his team out. Mark also has high hopes for the Sharks for the rest of the tournament, as he said, “we’re probably going to win tomorrow and I hope we make it to the finals.”
