NEWS
JC Canobbio Throws Out Tying Run at the Plate to End Game
Colin Rhein took a no-hitter into the 7th inning with 2 outs before a bloop single by Charles Hardwick ended it. He still finished with a 2-hit shutout to get Lindenhurst within 1 win of the postseason. He’s our @BsbLifestyle101 Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/s0PfgjzHWI — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2019 Colin Rhein claims he didn’t know he had a no-hitter going. Not going into the seventh inning and not even after he got the first two outs. It’s probably good considering the no-hit bit ended in the most unique fashion as he struck out the batter but a dropped third strike allowed him to reach first base safely. After a clean single to center broke up the no-hitter and a second hit threatened to end the shutout, center fielder JC Canobbio fired a stri...
Making Sense of the Wild Week Ahead
I haven’t been around forever, but I can’t remember a week that has even approached what we have going on this week. For starters, the biggest story line is that three of the local Division-II colleges are involved in the NCAA Regional. This means there is a 38 percent chance that one of them will advance to the Super Regionals, and at least a glimmer of hope that it could be an all-LI Super Regional. That would be incredible. Let’s not forget that Farmingdale State will be opening up their NCAA Regional at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. Had the PGA Championship not been at Bethpage Black Course, there is a real chance that Farmingdale would’ve hosted that side of the bracket. In any event, the Rams are in the midst of their best season since 2012 when they came within ...
Nassau County Class A Playoff Preview (Plus Predictions)
As always, the Class A playoffs will be a roller coaster of emotions. It brings high energy, closely contested match ups and upsets. The factor that makes these playoffs so great, is that there’s 18 teams competing for the ultimate goal of a county championship. As we’ve seen in previous years, there’s been clear favorites heading into the postseason. However, this year, it’s anybody’s title to win. With that being said, let’s take a look at the Class A playoffs. Play-In Games: #18 South Side vs. #15 Island Trees For several reasons, this is a great match up. Not only do both teams have great arms, but they both struggle to hit high-end pitching. For South Side, expect Dan Kelleher to take the mound. Kelleher features a lively fastball, along with the ab...
Nassau County Class AA Playoff Preview (Plus Predictions)
Ah, playoffs. The time of year we find out who rises to the top. In Class AA, there are no longer any play-in games, as it’s headed straight to the quarterfinals for a three-game series. There is a long way to go until the County Championship, but for now, let’s break down the remaining eight teams. Quarterfinals: #8 Baldwin vs. #1 Port Washington Considering Port Washington just swept Baldwin last week, this seems like an obvious choice. However, it’s playoffs. Anything can happen. The main focal point throughout the postseason for the top-seeded Port Washington Vikings will be their pitching. Last week, they held Baldwin to two earned runs in three games. Their rotation consisting of Alex Chang, Derek Livingston and Jackson Sattinger shut down Baldwin last week, so exp...
Q & A With Farmingdale RHP Matthew Constantine
It has been an unbelievable season for the Farmingdale State Rams. They just recently defeated rival SUNY Old Westbury to capture the 2019 Skyline Conference title. It is their first championship since 2014. A major reason for their success is their starting pitching led by senior Matthew Constantine. The West Babylon-grad leads the team in innings pitched (67.0), wins (7), saves (2) while compiling a sterling 2.28 ERA. Against Merchant Marine Academy–a game that Farmingdale eventually won in extra innings–Constantine went 8.1 innings and then came back on zero days rest and fired 1.1 innings in the championship game. If the Rams are able to advance to the Division-III College World Series, he will certainly be a big reason why. He spoke to me about a variety of topics and here...
Brock Murtha: What Mother’s Day Means to Me
(Editor’s Note: Brock Murtha is a 2020 graduate of Sayville HS. He is one of the top players in the region and is committed to the University of Notre Dame. He currently leads all Long Island high school players with seven home runs included a walk-off three-run home run earlier this week. The follow words are his own…) Brock Murtha hits a walk-off 3-R home run (7th of the season) to deliver a 6-3 victory for Sayville pic.twitter.com/sjy2XjB5pu — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2019 As an athlete, my mom, (and all moms) play a very important role in our lives. I am lucky enough to have a mom that is the real superstar. My mom is my greatest cheerleader, and my #1 fan. There are countless things my mom does for me, to make my life easier and to show me how much she l...
LIU Post Captures 2019 ECC Championship
LIU Post captures the 2019 ECC Championship! pic.twitter.com/9Aq1bJyHvB — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 11, 2019 For the second time in the past three seasons, Coach Mike Gaffney and the LIU Post Pioneers captured the ECC Championship. They did so in dominant fashion defeating the University of Bridgeport, 15-0, and winning their three postseason games by an aggregate score of 35-5. They will now advance to the NCAA East Regionals next weekend. The location and seeds will be announced tonight at 10pm. This game was put to rest rather quickly. The Pioneers got a leadoff home run by Giovanni Ciaccio, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECC Tournament. They added four more runs on a grand slam by Michael Manzione, his 10th of the season to go along with his 40th RBI. I...
Suffolk Defeats Nassau to Win Region XV Championship
Suffolk defeats Nassau by a score of 11-2 to win the regional championship. pic.twitter.com/5hn4idy9wk — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 11, 2019 On a beautiful spring afternoon, the Nassau Community College Lions were taking on the Suffolk County Community College Sharks in the Region XV Championship game. Southpaw Tyler Schmid took the mound for Suffolk, and immediately found himself in some trouble, walking the first two batters he faced. However, after a 6-6-3 double play, and a flyout to center, he was able to escape trouble. Nassau starting pitcher, Patrick Denicola, had a relatively clean frame. After allowing a one out double to Christian Lent, he retired the next two batters to strand Lent at second. All the runs that Suffolk would need were scored in the bottom of the se...
Seminoles Cruise to 9-4 Victory
Coach Gaghan discusses the victory @EcybTournaments pic.twitter.com/kPICaAF215 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 11, 2019 by Nick Frigerio Friday night was a hard fought battle between the 11u Batting 1.000 Seminoles and the 11u LI Thunder. Right from the start you knew both teams were fired up. As both coaches had their teams clapping to hear their lineups and had their teams energetic while doing their pre-game routines. As the game got underway, Colin Driscoll was the starting pitcher for the Seminoles. It did not take long for the LI Thunder to strike first, as Brady Kelly got them going in the top half of the first with a 1 out single. Followed by another single by Michael Colin. Clean up hitter Ryan Jazylo connected with a RBI single to drive in Brady Kelly, to give the Thun...
Islip Owls get Struck by Long Island Thunder
by Ethan Marshall Coach Domenick Caponi on the victory @EcybTournaments pic.twitter.com/IbfjiSwVud — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 11, 2019 The Long Island Thunder, behind an offensive explosion and a strong start by Nick Williams, defeated the Islip Owls 13-8. A five-run first inning for the Thunder set the tone for the game, and the Owls were unable to keep up. Thunder head coach Domenick Caponi believes this victory is a good sign his team is getting out of an offensive funk. “I told my team right off the bat, we have to come out explosive, and they did,” Coach Caponi said. “The bats were hot and they never died down.” Each of the first six hitters in the Thunder lineup finished the game with at least one RBI and one run scored. Cleanup hitter Thomas DeSantis led the way with...
Pioneers Stay Red-Hot, Advance to ECC Championship Game
The LIU Post won their eighth game in their last nine tries, and this was an important one–as they punch their ticket to the ECC Championship. They will now have to win just one of two games tomorrow to capture their second ECC Championship in the past three seasons. The offense came to play today, they put up 11 runs on 15 hits. The biggest contributor was Mike Manzione, who homered twice (his 8th and 9th of the season). They wasted no time in this one–as they posted a three-spot in the first inning against Bridgeport starter Chris Martucci. Chris Wasson got it going with an RBI double to score Giovanni Ciaccio. A sac fly by Dave Brehm scored Wasson and Manzione’s first home run made it 3-0. LIU Post LHP Noah Lorenzo continued his strong season. He fired scoreless inning...
