Game Recaps

by Vinny Messana When we had Cody McPartland in studio for our BOTI Weekly show on Sunday, he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by having to face one of the best Div-II teams in the country in the NCAA East Regionals. He noted that they still have to know what he’s throwing and be able to hit it. McPartland proved that it wasn’t just player-speak by firing a six-hit shutout with 9 Ks in Dowling 4-0 win over a potent Southern New Hampshire team (45-6), while also out dueling the East Region Pitcher of the Year in Tim Viehoff. Both offense were dormant through six innings, but the Golden Lions broke through when Bobby Morse (4-for-4, 1 RBI) smacked a go-ahead solo HR to left center. They added some insurance runs with an RBI double by the raging-hot Tim Going (3-for-5, 1 RBI)...

by Chris Amato Bay Shore had one thing in mind today, to keep scoring runs and never look back. That is exactly what they did scoring 13 runs against Connetquot in a Class AA playoff elimination game. After an upset win by No. 16 Connetquot over No. 1 Bay Shore on Monday, the Marauders were looking to avenge their first round loss and send Connetquot home. The Bay Shore offense was certainly the driving force of the game, especially when complimented by a gem pitching performance by Hermes Abreu. Senior shortstop, Brian Weissert, was locked into today’s game while at the plate. Wiessert led the Bay Shore offense today by going 3-3 with two homers and a single while collecting 5 RBI’s. The Fordham-commit has been a key player on his team and hopes to continue his hot-hitting for...

by Vinny Messana It might be a conference known for pitching, pitching and more pitching but St. Dominic’s eclipsed double-digit runs for the fifth consecutive game–all wins–and defeated Chaminade 14-3 with their ace, Kyle Young, on the hill. “They’ve had our number for the last year now, so it’s good to finally get off the schneid,” said St. Dominic’s Head Coach Jimmy Goelz. “We’ve been working on our swings and it’s coming to fruition. On a day Kyle Young did not have his typical great stuff (6 IP, 4 BB, 6 hits, 5 Ks), the offense did more than enough off the Chaminade pitching staff, who used the day to get in work for their top four starters. The Flyers actually got out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI ...

by Vinny Messana Chris Cepeda said he was so excited for this start that he didn’t get any sleep last night. By the looks of it, though, you would think the University of Bridgeport hitters were the sleepless ones. He fired a CG, allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts to improve to 7-0 in his freshman season and advance Dowling to the ECC Championship game against the winner of Molloy-Bridgeport. “I’ve been waiting all season for this,” said the Ward Melville grad. “I don’t even know how to explain it, I’ve just been excited and I couldn’t sleep last night.” He sliced through the Bridgeport lineup using his low 3/4 delivery and nasty two-seamer and slider combo all day. He needed 110 pitches to continue his undefeated season. A...

by Vinny Messana Home field advantage is a beautiful thing–even when the fences more closely resemble playing in Yosemite National Park than the Washington Nationals park. The Dowling Golden Lions held off Molloy’s eighth inning rally and won 8-6 in the first round of the ECC Postseason. The difference in the ballgame was Dowling’s seven-run second inning off Ron Bauer–who led the ECC entering today with a 1.05 ERA but after his outing today it jumped to 1.94. The big blow was third baseman Bobby Morse‘s grand slam to left center field after Michael Rizzitello walked to load the bases. “I was just trying to redeem myself after the first inning, making an error,” said Dowling’s third baseman in reference to his throwing error that allowed Moll...

by Vinny Messana It was a simple scenario for Newfield–win and they qualify for their first postseason berth since 2005. Except Smithtown East was in the away dugout and they weren’t about to do the Wolverines any favors. The Bulls overcame a 5-4 deficit in the seventh inning, with the go-ahead hit coming on a long two-run double down the left field line in the eighth inning for freshman Ryan Pennisi to score Nick Rizzo. “A line that we like to use pretty often is ‘pressure is a privilege,’ there’s no pressure if you don’t play in big games,” said Smithtown East Head Coach Ken Klee. “We’ve been pretty fortunate to play in a lot of big games so being tested comes through in a game like today when they’re playing for their pla...