Division
Hauppauge Edges Division In Instant Classic for First Long Island Championship in Program History
by John Sullivan (Photo: Catherine Scarantino) Hauppauge starting pitcher Matt Neglia takes us through what was working for him on the mound in his phenomenal complete game performance pic.twitter.com/xTN0RcSjYw — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 2, 2024 The Long Island Championship between Hauppauge and Division was obviously a very big game, but this one meant just a little more for both programs. For Hauppauge, they were trying to capture their first ever Long Island Championship, and for perennial powerhouse, Division, they were looking to avenge last years Long Island Championship loss, in which they led for most of the game, but ultimately lost to West Babylon. In their biggest game in program history, Hauppauge gave the ball to St. Thomas Aquinas-commit Matt Neglia, who has...
GAME RECAP: Matt Bolton’s 3 Hits, 3 RBIs Lead Division to 14-8 Game 1 Victory
by Tucker Terranova (Photo: Catherine Scarantino) Matt Bolton takes us through what worked for him at the plate in a big win for Division pic.twitter.com/7Ne7PxPh3Z — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2024 Game 2 of our coverage of the Nassau County Championships featured a AA slugfest between No. 6 Division and No. 2 Bellmore JFK. How they got here: After finishing as the No. 6 seed, Division entered the playoffs with a chip on their shoulder, determined to prove doubters wrong and continue their run as one of the league’s dominant forces. They’ve done just that, getting hot at the right time and going 5-0 while scoring 47 runs in those games. For Kennedy, they’ve enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history. They faced off against two gritty opponents, Manhasset and Carey...
GAME RECAP: 10-Run Fifth Inning Powers Division to Nassau County Finals
by Tucker Terranova Christian Valera breaks down what worked for him today in Division’s 11-1 win pic.twitter.com/b1oK9UqEMp — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 20, 2024 In the second game of their three-game series, No. 6 Division faced off against No. 5 Long Beach in front of their home crowd with the opportunity to advance to the championship round and retain their title as Class AA County Champions. After starting the tournament with a 4-0 record and a commanding +28 run differential, Division seamlessly carried their momentum into Game 2. Eight of the nine starters reached base, five of them had multi-RBI afternoons, and Christian Varela shut down the Long Beach offense en route to an 11-1 win that only required five innings. Looking to rebound after dropping the series opener ...
GAME RECAP: KK Delacruz Drives in 7 As Division Cruises to 12-3 Win At Calhoun
by Max Edelman It’s Kaolis Delacruz who opens the scoring for Division! He connects on a two out, two run single to left! 2-0 Division, heading to the bottom of the third. pic.twitter.com/LQUe3B3i8o — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 15, 2024 The Division Blue Dragons, fueled by a seven RBI game Kaolis Delacruz, cruised past the Calhoun Colts 12-3 on the road on Monday. April. 15. After two scoreless frames, the Dragons finally exploded, scoring all 12 of their runs in the final five innings of the game. The big game for Delacruz came on numerous different hits in a number of different spots. Delacruz’s first two RBIs came on a single in the third inning. His third RBI came on a single in the fifth inning. But the biggest play for Delacruz came in the sixth, when he connected on...
GAME RECAP: Division Scores Five Runs in 1st Inning, Wins 10-1 over South Side in Non-League Game
Final: Division 10, South Side 1 WP: Mike Roy Matt Bolton: 2-for-3, 2 BBs, 2 runs scored, 4 SBs pic.twitter.com/CtvcZbQrWr — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 5, 2024 Division HS has been one of the true baseball powerhouses on Long Island dating back to the mid 1970s. Much of that is due to their grittiness, blue-collar attitude and attention to detail. Recently, however, they have been fortunate to have high-end talent that has really helped lead them to the top of the standings. Just since 2021, they have graduated Nick Roselli (Binghamton) and had back-to-back Diamond Award winner in Joe Yovino (Elon) and James Sill (SUNY Old Westbury). This year, they appear to have another one of those and Matt Bolton. The Binghamton-commit is off to a red-hot start to the 2024 season –...
Despite Graduating the Last 2 Diamond Award Winners, Division Reloaded For Another Deep Run
For the first time since 2015, Division captures the Nassau County Class A Championship! They sweep Calhoun and they will face West Babylon in the Long Island Championship next Saturday! Division improves to 27-1 on the season and Matt Marino fired a CG with 7 Ks pic.twitter.com/CGkUbiN9Z4 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 29, 2023 Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series. Week after week, Division took care of business. They nearly ran the table and completed a perfect season until they were finally defeated in the playoffs by Bethpage. When the two teams matched up again, Division promptly took care of them and kept rolling all the way to a Nassau County Class A Championship over fellow powerhouse, Calhoun. Division ...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Anthony Papa
When it comes to overused phrases, “he’s got that dog in ’em” is that at the top of the list. But Anthony Papa, a former Diamond Award winner, Long Island Champ and Skyline Conference champ, fits that mold to a t. Papa, who suffered a torn UCL during his senior year of high school and told nobody, wound up pitching a five-hit complete game in the Class A Long Island Championship in 2015. He was able to play through the pain during the season as a hitter and won the Diamond Award. Later in life, he tore his ACL during conditioning training on the beach. He was able to pitch through the pain as well and to this day never got the ACL repaired. Followers of Long Island baseball are familiar with Anthony Papa for his dominant days as a 1-2 punch atop the Division rotation with James Varela, but...
GAME RECAP: Seven Run 4th Inning Propels Division to 8-0 Start to Season
Final: Division 13, Bethpage 4 WP: Mike Roy Division improved to 8-0 on the season. They erased an early 3-0 deficit. Chris Clune: 3 hits pic.twitter.com/I1RDLou9yd — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 11, 2023 When you enter the game with a run differential of 95 scored and 1 allowed, the expectations are high – even against a perennial playoff team like Bethpage. One day after a 10-0 shutout behind ace James Sill, Division faced an uphill battle – by their standards. Bethpage actually jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead against Division RHP Christian Varela – with the runs coming on a bases loaded walk in the first inning and a 2-run error on an errant pickoff throw in the second inning. At that point, it seemed we would be in for a close game, at the very least. But...
Division’s Bat Strike Early & Often in 16-1 Victory
by Eddie Lennon James Sill is the Axcess Baseball player for the game powered by @GCsports . Sill had a huge game at the plate with a 2B, 3B and 3 RBI. Division wins 16-1. pic.twitter.com/h1PYVyMGtf — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 4, 2023 Division remained dominant, beating Hewlett, 16-1, in five innings. Their bats got started early and did not let up throughout the whole game. The Blue Dragons managed to score in every inning of their fifth inning run-fest, putting up one in the first, three in the second, five in the third, five in the fourth, and two in the fifth. T/1- Joe Yovino with the long RBI double to left to drive in the first run. 1-0 Division. pic.twitter.com/EJx6x0Bx5E — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 4, 2023 Elon-commit Joe Yovino had a big day at t...
Led by Diamond Award winner, Division Hungry to Take Next Step
by Brian Honka Division had a young team last year that consisted of six sophomores who had big contributions to the team’s 19-7 overall record and 14-4 league record in which they finished 1 game behind South Side for the league title. The team fell one game short of reaching the Nassau Class A County Finals as they lost in game 3 of the semifinals to eventual LI Champs Calhoun. The team will miss the production and contributions from Mike Knapp, a 2-time All-County RHP, who is now pitching at Molloy, Jack Taggart, an All-Conference pitcher, and Chris Powers, an All-League OF. The team will be looking for another great season out of Joe Yovino who is a senior catcher that put up a .467 AVG, crushed 7 home runs with 30 RBIs and 27 runs scored. Additionally, he stole 15 bases, compil...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Anthony Papa
When it comes to overused phrases, “he’s got that dog in ’em” is that at the top of the list. But Anthony Papa, a former Diamond Award winner, Long Island Champ and Skyline Conference champ, fits that mold to a t. Papa, who suffered a torn UCL during his senior year of high school and told nobody, wound up pitching a five-hit complete game in the Class A Long Island Championship in 2015. He was able to play through the pain during the season as a hitter and won the Diamond Award. Later in life, he tore his ACL during conditioning training on the beach. He was able to pitch through the pain as well and to this day never got the ACL repaired. Followers of Long Island baseball are familiar with Anthony Papa for his dominant days as a 1-2 punch atop the Division rotatio...
