The 11U East Williston Wildcats were back in action on Sunday April 27 against the Diamond Baseball Academy, based out of Medford.
The DBA recruits players from all over Suffolk County, with seven teams in their organization, so the Wildcats knew they were up for a challenge.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with timely hits from Frankie Asaro, Tyler Burke, Jack Fiorillo, and Luca Papavero.
That proved to be all the offense needed as pitcher Tyler Burke held The Academy offense to just two runs on two hits. Tyler’s explosive fastball was virtually unhittable as he struck out nine batters in four innings.
The Wildcats offense got a three-run home run off the bat of Matt McCleary and would only need four innings to complete the game, enjoying a 14-2 romp in the first game.
The second game of the doubleheader had a different outcome. The Wildcats found themselves in a hole that was difficult to get out of. The Diamond Baseball Academy had loaded the bases in the fourth inning after scoring two more crucial runs, when the Wildcats called upon Frankie Asaro to stop the bleeding. Frankie struck out the two batters he faced in the fourth to keep the deficit at five.
Down 8-3 in the top of the sixth inning, the Wildcats rallied to put the tying and go ahead runs on base. After an RBI single by Peter Cuomo, the team’s most prolific base runner found himself on third base. With two outs, Peter timed the throw from the catcher to the pitcher perfectly, as he stole home to tie the game at 8. The heroics would soon end as a lead-off walk in the bottom of the sixth would turn out costly as The Academy would drive in the ninth and deciding run off a double to left-center field.
Although the team split the doubleheader, the coaches were extremely pleased with the grit and grind of the team as they fought back from a 5 run deficit in the last inning.
