Archive
2016 Season Ends for Molloy and Dowling
by Vinny Messana It was a terrific run, but the clock has struck midnight on the 2016 season for both Molloy and Dowling in the NCAA East Regionals. Molloy was eliminated, 11-5, by Southern New Hampshire. Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Jack McCarty, they fell behind 7-1 when SNHU got the bats going in the fourth and fifth innings. The Lions were able to scratch and claw their way within two runs on an error, passed ball, sac fly by Angelo Navetta and another run-scoring hit by McCarty. That was as close as they would get, as SNHU broke it open with an RBI single in the seventh and a three-run shot in the eighth. With the loss, the Lions finished their season with a record of 31-23. They had much to be proud of, though. Angelo Navetta, Deilyn Guzman and K...
Cody McPartland Tosses a Gem, Dowling Advances over No. 2 Seed Southern New Hampshire
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)...
North Shore eliminates Jericho from the Section 8 Playoffs
by Vinny Amodeo On the back of senior Nick Lucchese, the North Shore Vikings pulled out a comeback win this afternoon against Jericho by the score of 4-3. A three-run fifth inning propelled the Vikings after a fairly dull offensive performance for most of the day. The inning was kicked off with a one-out single by freshman pinch-hitter, Matt Lewin. Lucchese, drove a double to right field, putting runners on second and third and setting up a turn of events for the following batter. Centerfielder, Frank Castiglione, wiffed on a squeeze bunt attempt, forcing Lucchese and Lewin guessing between bases in a double pickle. Jericho chose to go after Lucchese, which temped Lewin to race home. Lewin was out at the plate, but allowed Lucchese to advance to third. Castiglione redeemed himself with a R...
Ryan Aloise Keeps St. Joseph’s Hopes Alive With Five-Hit Shutout
by Vinny Messana Facing elimination, St. Joseph’s sent Ryan Aloise to the hill in hopes of keeping their season alive. The junior went out and performed as well as anyone could have hoped–firing a CG shutout, allowing just five hits in a game that lasted just 1 hour and 48 minutes. He lowered his ERA for the season to 2.03 and won his eighth game while advancing the Golden Eagles in the tournament. The Golden Eagles offense was dormant through the first four innings but broke through in the fifth with all the offense Aloise would need. Dan Campanelli hit a one-out single to get the rally started. Ryan Walsh moved him to second with a single of his own. After James Nakashian sacrificed them both up a base, Anthony Bonilla had the biggest hit of the game with a two-run triple to ...
Game Preview: Molloy @ St. Thomas Aquinas
Molloy (31-21) will open up the 2016 NCAA East Regional tonight against St. Thomas Aquinas (35-15) in Rindge, N.H. at 7pm. The Lions will have ace Ron Bauer (7-2, 1.94 ERA) on the hill. He was roughed up in his last start against Dowling in the opening round of the ECC tournament. The Spartans ended their run of three straight ECC titles but they still received an at-large bid due to their 35-win season. They are a potent team in all aspects and we will break down their strengths. Pitching: They were fifth in the nation with a 2.94 ERA. They were close to a run better than Molloy in terms of run prevention and they will have the ECC Pitcher of the Year, Matt Kostalos (7-0, 1.41 ERA, 89.2 IP, 105 Ks) on the hill. The Spartans will be hoping he can hand the ball right off to closer George Na...
Game Preview: Dowling @ Southern New Hampshire
Dowling (27-23) will open up the 2016 NCAA East Regional tonight against Southern New Hampshire (45-5) in Rindge, N.H.at 3pm. The Golden Lions will have Cody McPartland (6-4, 3.44 ERA) on the hill. He won Game One of the ECC Tournament over Molloy and also recorded the save in the clinching game against the University of Bridgeport. The Penmen just won the Northeast-10 tournament against the College of St. Rose by the score of 5-4. They are a well-rounded team that presents many challenges.They are making their fifth straight appearance in the East Regional and won it all in 2012. Let’s break their team down: Pitching: They ranked sixth in the nation in ERA at 3.00. They are led by lefty Tim Viehoff (8-1, 2.77 ERA, 81.1 IP, 100 Ks) who was named the East Region Pitcher of the Year. T...
Brian Weissert’s Two HRs Leads Bay Shore to 13-0 Victory over Connetquot
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...
Baseball on the Island Weekly- Edition IV
In this week’s edition of Baseball on the Island Weekly, we had Dowling’s ace, Cody McPartland, in as a special guest to discuss his team’s exhilarating weekend that culminated in winning the ECC Championship for the first time sine 2012. We also discussed Suffolk v Nassau Regional Championship and St. Joseph’s winning the Skyline Conference title for the first time since 2004. Enjoy!
Sam Kessler Outduels Sal Zafonte in Playoff Thriller
by Vinny Messana When two great pitchers are on the top of their game, it usually takes some late-game heroics to win it. That’s exactly what happened. George Rainer hit a sac-fly in the ninth inning to give Mount Sinai a 2-1 win over Sal Zafonte and Sayville. James Sarno made a tremendous play in the center field to end a threat in the ninth inning and eighth grader Paul Gomes threw out the potential game-winning run at the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mount Sinai’s ace, Sam Kessler, fired the full nine-innings and continued his masterful season with 12 strikeouts and one unearned run. He now has six wins, and has allowed only four ER over 51.1 IP with 78 Ks and only 23 hits and nine walks. He is committed to West Virginia in the fall but there has been recent ch...
Introducing the No. 2 Prospect on Long Island
by Vinny Messana The comparisons are too easy to make at this point–how many 6’10” left-handed pitchers with a dynamite fastball can you think of? St. Dominic’s ace, Kyle Young, can only embrace it. “I think it’s one of the best compliments I can receive,” said the big lefty. “He’s one of the best pitchers ever,” he added. Now, while the HS senior has quite a ways to go to match the career resume of “The Big Unit”, to high school hitters in 2016–he is Randy Johnson. Young has led to the Bay Hawks to another great season, after finishing runners-up in the CHSAA in 2015 to Chaminade. Feeling disappointed with not coming out on top, he went to work this off season and wanted to improve in all aspects. He spent every...
St. Dominic’s Bats Stay Hot, Win Fifth Consecutive Game
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 ...
What’s On Tap for Today
by BOTI Staff Today begins as big week for high school baseball. All playoff games/series will begin either today or tomorrow. Here’s what going on today, Monday May 16. Suffolk Class AA No. 16 Connetquot @ No. 1 Bay Shore No. 9 North Babylon @ No. 8 Northport No. 13 Hills East @ No. 4 Commack No. 12 Longwood @ No. 5 Smithtown West No. 15 West Babylon @ No. 2 West Islip No. 10 Pat-Med @ No. 7 Hauppauge No. 14 Sachem North @ No. 3 Smithtown East No. 11 Hills West @ No. 6 Ward Melville Nassau Class AA No. 9 Farmingdale @ No. 1 Oceanside No. 7 Mepham @ No. 2 Calhoun No. 6 Plainview JFK @ No. 3 East Meadow No. 5 MacArthur @ No. 4 Massapequa Nassau Class A No. 9 Island Trees @ No. 1 Carey No. 11 Bellmore JFK @ No. 3 Seaford No. 12 New Hyde Park @ No. 4 North Shore No. 7 Wantagh @ No. 2 Di...
