Panera Bread Rays vs. Applebee’s Tigers. The Panera Bread Rays took on the Applebee’s Tigers in a hard-fought match-up. It was a cool and overcast morning, but everyone was excited to play. The boys played spirited defense to start, with Cameron Conroy making a play from shortstop, while Noah Varghese and Anay Patel held down the right side of the diamond. When the Rays came up to bat, it was Vincent Leva with a smash up the middle, as Kieran Hickis and Logan Hargrove ran hard around the bases. Everyone had a good day at the ball field.
Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds vs. Great Neck White Sox. The Mighty Reds raised their record to 12-0 on the season with a 13-3 victory over the Sox. Jack Nathan reached base in all three of his plate appearances. He had three hits, stole three bases, scored two runs and drove in three runs, including another game-winning RBI. Tyler Silverstein stole three bases and scored a run. Tyler was masterful at second base and made two amazing plays to take away sure base hits. Martin Lev’s single capped off another six run rally. He stole two bases and drove in a run. Jared Puntus continued abusing opponents pitchers by collecting two more hits. He also stole two bases and scored two runs, including the game-winner. Jared pitched a scoreless fifth inning, striking out one and closing out the game.
Rayhan Kahn smacked a key single in a six-run third inning. Rayhan drove in two runs, scored a run and also stole two bases. Daniel Goldberg had a big triple, an RBI and scored a run. Daniel was lights out on the mound, striking out eight batters and chalking up his fifth win of the season with four dominant innings. Christian Zamora continues hacking away and battled mightily during his three at bats. Christian is getting closer to breaking out in a big way. Adrian Balkcom had another great game at the plate with a single and another long home run. He also drove in a run, scored a run and stole a base. Adrian was solid behind the plate and initiated an inning-ending double play. Paul Depaulis reached base twice, including a single, stole three bases and scored twice, including the game’s first run. A.J. DeVito went 2-for-3 and scored once. He also stole two bases and drove in two runs. A.J. was solid in the field, including an inning-ending diving catch at first base. Ryan Gaudio reached base twice and stole four bases. Ryan also scored two runs and drove in a run while anchoring the defense.
Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds vs. Margaret Zadnik Orthodontics Merillon Giants. The Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds took on the Margaret Zadnik Orthodontics Merillion Giants in the regular season finale, with the Little Red Machine capping off the regular season with a 5-2 victory over the Giants. The Mighty Reds ended their season by raising their record to a perfect 13-0 with eyes on the playoffs.
Paul DePaulis had a single and scored the game-winning run. Ryan Gaudio drove in a run and scored a run. Ryan also had a great day on the mound by striking out five in two plus innings. Michael Castelli was a wizard in the field with flawless glove work and a strong arm. Jack Nathan continued swinging a red hot bat by ripping a single and driving in the game’s first two runs. Tyler Silverstein got in his swings during his at bats. Tyler threw a perfect strike to third base in a well-executed relay throw to home plate. Daniel Goldberg ripped a single and scored a run. Daniel also pitched two-plus innings in relief, fanning six to earn his team-leading sixth victory. A.J. DeVito drove in the game-winning run with a perfect safety squeeze bunt. A.J. also scored an insurance run and was solid in the field. Jared Puntus took some mighty hacks and has been one of the team’s most consistent hitters. Rayhan Kahn’s continued to battle mightily during his at bats and made a nice play at second base. Ben Goodwin collected his first solid hit of the season in his return to the Reds’ lineup. Adrian Balkcom scored the game’s final run, singled and drove in a run. Adrian closed out the regular season by striking out the side to earn a save. Martin Lev took some more mighty hacks at the plate.
Panera Bread Rays vs. Sage Commodities LLC Dodgers. It was a very warm day, and the boys were ready for some fun. With the Rays up first, our guys hit some scorchers up the middle, including Logan Hargrove and Kiernan Hickis. The boys ran hard around the bases, with Noah Varghese and Anthony Denier coming home. In the field, Sebastian Hansman and Nicholas Christofidis handled a few well hit balls and Anay Patel hustled. Everyone had a good time
Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds vs. New Hyde Park Orthodontics Blue Jays. Game one of the playoffs saw the Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds take on the New Hyde Park Orthodontics Blue Jays. In a game where the heat took its toll on players, coaches and parents, the Little Red Machine battled the scrappy Blue Jays and hit their way to a 16-8 comeback victory. Trailing 4-0 after the top of the first inning, the mighty Reds chipped away and took the lead for good by scoring 10 runs in the first three innings.
Ben Goodwin continued his clutch hitting with a game-breaking single and two RBIs that busted the game open. Benny also stole a base and scored a run. Rayhan Khan blasted a mighty triple, driving in two big insurance runs. Rayhan also scored a run and delivered the game’s first big blow. Ryan Gaudio also had big triple driving in a run, while striking out three in two innings on the mound. Demetris Panouis reached base in all three at bats by working out key walks. The “D” Train stole a base and scored the Reds’ first and last runs of the game. Martin Lev took some mighty cuts during his two at bats. Martin also scored a run in the big fourth inning. Tyler Silverstein scored two runs after walking twice, while Daniel Goldberg had a single, scored a run and drove in two, including the game-winning run. Michael Castelli stole a base and anchored the outfield with some very strong and much needed defense. Stephen Perno had an RBI and scored a run.
Adrian Balkcom collected another three hits and was rock solid again behind the plate. Adrian scored the game-winning run while stealing two bases and driving in one. He also came in to pitch the last inning and struck out the side to seal the victory. Jack Nathan reached base in both of his plate appearances, stealing three bases and scoring twice. A.J. DeVito pitched an inning, striking out two to grab the win. A.J. had two RBIs and scored a run with a key steal of home plate. Paulie DePaulis had two big hits and drove in two runs. Paulie also scored two runs and stole a base. Jared Puntus had two quality at bats, walking twice. Jared stole two bases and scored a run while making some solid plays at first base.
Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds vs, Margaret Zadnik Orthodontics Giants. Game two of the playoffs saw the Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds take on the Margaret Zadnik Orthodontics Giants. The two top seeded teams battled for eight innings until the Reds took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh. Closer Adrian Balkcom pitched the final three inning to thrust the Mighty Reds into the championship game with 4-3 win.
Martin Lev was the hitting star of the game with a massive home run, scoring a run with two RBIs. Martin drove in the tying run in the bottom of the sixth to send the game into extra innings. Stephen Perno blasted a triple and scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the sixth. Paulie DePaulis was clutch at the plate, smashing a triple and a single. Paulie’s single drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh and helped send the Reds to the championship game.
Ryan Gaudio had a single, drove in a run and scored a run. On the mound, Ryan struck out six in two innings of relief. Daniel Goldberg battled mightily at the plate, while striking out seven in three solid innings on the mound to set the tone. Adrian Balkcom was dominant on the mound, collecting his first win of the season. Adrian struck out two and limited the Giants to one run in the final three innings. Christian Zamora made huge contributions in all phases of the game. Christian’s walk in the bottom of the seventh set up the game-winning run. Christian also made a dynamite play at second base.
Michael Castelli walked, stole a base and was solid in the field and provided some much needed defense. Ben Goodwin battled mightily in his two at bats. Ben has been heating up just in time for the playoffs. Tyler Silverstein scored the game winning-run in the bottom of the seventh. Tyler’s plate discipline was clutch as he drew two key walks and stole two bases. A.J. DeVito was solid in the field in this marathon game, helping to keep the game close. Rayhan Khan had two quality at bats. Rayhan was also solid in the field. Demetris Panouis led off the game with a walk and stole a base. Demetris used his cannon arm to nail a base runner at first in the crucial late innings. Jared Puntus had two more quality at bats and singled to drive in the Reds’ first run. Jared also made some key plays at first base. Jack Nathan hit the ball hard and was robbed of a sure base hit. Jack was solid again at first base.
New Hyde Park Elks Diamondbacks vs. Hand Rolled Bagels Rockies. The Diamondbacks captured the Upper Farms Title on a beautiful day for baseball. The top of the first saw the Rockies take an early lead, 6-0. A single by Michael Campagnuolo, bringing home Arjun Bhatt and Luke Notine, started the inning off. The Diamondbacks brought home four runs in the first inning and matched that run total in the fourth. In the first, the Diamondbacks scored on an RBI single by Ryan Wasserman, plating James Prado. Brendon Cooper had a huge two-out hit that scored Jon Zebitsch.
The teams traded runs for most of the contest, leading to seven lead changes in the game. Ryan Wasserman had a busy day at the plate, collecting two extra-base hits. He singled in the first inning and doubled in the second and sixth inning. The Rockies couldn’t get anything going as long as Ryan was pitching. Wasserman held the Rockies hitless over three innings, allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out six. Duhan Lee and Kenny Hirschfeld also each pitched a scoreless inning.
Ryan Wasserman, Brendan Cooper and James Prado helped lead the Diamondbacks. They combined for six hits and four RBIs. Christopher Gould and Vinay Patel contributed with three walks each.
The Diamondbacks pulled out the win thanks to a strong sixth inning. The Diamondbacks scored on an RBI single by Jack Kareff, plating Ryan Wasserman.
Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds vs. Islandwide Medical Associates Merillon Pirates. The championship game saw the Notre Dame CYO Sports Merillon Reds take on the Islandwide Medical Associates Merillon Pirates in a battle for the ages. The Mighty Reds raised their record to a perfect 16-0 to win the Minor League championship in dramatic fashion. After trailing 7-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, the Mighty Reds dug their spikes into the ground and started to mount their comeback. The Reds scored four times in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 7-6. After the Pirates tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth, the Reds had their backs to the wall and the bottom of the order coming to bat.
With one out Ben Goodwin beat out a key infield hit. Jack Nathan then walked and after a pop out to short, Demetris Panouis walked to load the bases. That brought up the Reds’ most feared hitter, birthday boy Paulie DePaulis. Paulie worked out a walk forcing in a run to make the score 8-7. This caused a final pitching change as the Reds were still down to their last out. Number three hitter A.J. DeVito hit a solid ground ball through the second base side of the infield. Two runs scored on the play ending the game and sealing the Reds’ championship in walk off fashion, 9-8.
A.J. DeVito had the game-winner, driving in two and scoring one on the day. A.J. was also aces in the field. Daniel Goldberg had a single, a double and scored a run. Daniel pitched two plus innings, fanning six Pirates. Adrian Balkcom had a hit, an RBI and was solid behind the plate. Adrian pitched out of a jam in the fifth and kept it close in the sixth by striking out two batters, earning his second win of both the season and the playoffs. Paul Depaulis singled walked and scored a run. Paulie’s walk in the sixth kept the rally going and set up the game-winner.
Stephen Perno had a huge day at the plate with a triple and a single. Stephen drove in a the key sixth run, stole a base and scored the Reds’ first run. Rayhan Kahn’s got the Reds on the scoreboard with a key double. Rayhan drove in the Reds’ first two runs and breathe life into a tightly wound team. Demetris Panouis singled and reached base twice. The D-Train made his final stop of the season at home plate and scored the game and championship winning run. Ben Goodwin beat out the most important infield hit of his young career. Ben ignited the last-inning rally with his speed and scored the run that setup the rest of inning and kept the Reds alive to complete the comeback. Tyler Silverstein, who always reaches base, did it again. Tyler walked twice and stole a base while making a nice play at second base early in the game. Ryan Gaudio, who was under the weather, came up with a hit and drove in a run. Ryan stole a base and scored a run. He also battled on the mound, holding the Pirates to one run and striking out one in two tough innings.
Jared Puntus had a hit and stole a base in the team’s big fifth inning. Jared spent time at both third and first and was a key cog in the Reds infield. Martin Lev walked and stole a base in the Reds key third inning. Martin also scored our second run to help the Reds start to mount their comeback. Jack Nathan had a tremendously important walk in the sixth inning and scored the game-tying run on the last play of the game. Jack made also made a nice play at first base early in the game. Michael Castelli did all of his damage in the field. Mike caught a fly ball that would have spelled trouble had it fallen in. Mike also anchored the infield at second base in the final inning. Christian Zamora put a scare into everyone with a solid pop to shortstop. It took a great play to rob Christian of a sure base hit and in the bottom of the sixth and final inning.
Merillon Bolts win 2013 Girls Major League Champs
The Merillon Tudor Advisory Group Bolts beat the Mineola Lightning, 9-3, in extra innings for the girls Major League championship. Led by pitcher Isabella Fazzolari, who pitched no-hit ball for three innings and Jillian Cooper pitching a scoreless fourth inning, getting out of a big jam. Jillian also had a single and a double and scored a run. Lauren Wasserman pitched two scoreless innings and got the save. Lauren also had two big hits and stole home for a run. Daniella Connor played a great first base, making several big plays for put outs at first base and threw out a runner going to third base. Connor also had a big hit and scored a run. Sarah Bush had a big hit and scored a run and caught the full seven innings behind the plate and she threw a girl out at third base trying to steal. Samantha Grenard had two walks and scored a big run. CeCe Schnall had a big hit and scored a big run in the top of the seventh inning. Michelle Lee walked and scored a big run in the seventh inning. Haylie Lempert walked, got a big hit in the seventh inning and scored a run. Kaitlyn Stoyer walked, hit a huge double down the right field line in the top of the seventh inning to break the game wide open and scored a run. Sabani Polce got hit by a pitch and stole second base. This team never quit and hung in there with great pitching, catching, clutch hitting and defense that culminated with the 2013 Girls Spring Major League Championship.
All-Star Saturday
Lower Farms Division Game: All-Star Saturday brought sun, baseball and a capacity crowd to Merillon Field for the Boys-Lower Farms Division All-Star game. The American League squared off against the National League in a matchup that would extend into extra innings. The American League took an early lead in the contest, scoring eight runs in the first two innings. The National League quickly added six runs over the next two innings and clamped down on defense to hold the American tribe to four runs over the next four innings. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the American league up by five runs, the National Leaguers reached down deep inside and mounted an inspired comeback,forcing extra innings. The American League put four runs across the plate in the top of the seventh The Nationals tried to rally back again and with two on and two out in the bottom of the inning that ended on a dramatic infield fly caught by the American League second baseman securing a 16-12 victory for the American League. The American League participants: Alan Sykora.Michael Manfredi,Anthony Leva,Thomas Gaudio,A.J. Ponzo,Bobby Symanski,John Dunn,Jesse Tricario,Brian O’Conner,Brendan Hickis,Christian Flynn,Michael Palladino. The National League participants: Michael Merolla, Jack Puvogel, Mitchell Argis, Ryan Wang, Aedan Cotter,Stephen Lopez, Michael O’Grady, Anthony Lasala, Ethan Vo,Chris Chin, Stephen Coffey, Christian Thomas
Minors B Division Game: On a great spring day for baseball the best of Merillon squared off against the Alberston Herricks Williamsport team. The AHLL pitchers were very tough on the Merillon hitters but the boys from Merillon hung in there and after two innings were in the books the game was knotted at 2-2. The third inning was a huge inning for the mighty AHLL team, which put up six runs on three hits. Merillon managed to push across only two more runs against the tuff pitching of the AHLL all-stars. Overall, AHLL pitchers held the Merillon All-stars to only three hits, winning 9-4. The team of AHLL was represented by Jake Murciano, Joseph Bono, Thomas Bono, Cole LaRock, Kyle Hunter, Michael Russo, Marcus Osieczkowski, Sean Park, Mac Michalik, Matt Eisinger, Danny Baksh, Marcus Ng, Vick Patel, Parker Warrantz and Matthew Levy. The team from Merillon was represented by James Prado, Anthony Agerenza, Kenny Hirschfeld, Erik Lyngstad-Hughes, Jimmy Weedon, Scott McClellan, Luke Notine, Marco Gullo, Brendan Cooper, Jack Kareff and Ryan Kunak.
Minors Game: The National league pitching combination of Cenzo Montoni, Adam Miller, Christopher Piccirillo and John Vlantis did a great job of keeping the American league bats in check all afternoon. The National hitters had a strong showing with some fine at bats turned in by Matthew Merolla, Franco Dimilta, Abidin Dauti, David Klebanow and Daniel Vilbig. Some leather was flashed also by the Nationals with some fine plays turned by Hans Dewitte and Stephen Farishian, and Michael Femia. On the American League side of the field, strong pitching performances were turned in by A.J. Devito, Allesandro Gullo, Daniel Goldberg, Matthew Strocchia, and Adrian Balkcolm. A long home run by Ryan Gaudio got the bats going for the American League squad, with some great plate appearances turned in by Philip Schurr, Jared Puntus, Justin Kuzler and Stephen DeRocchis. Justin Cosgrove and Paulie DePaulis kept opposing runners at bay with Gold Glove performances behind the plate. When it was all said in done the National League came out on top, but true Merillon Sportsmanship is what shined on this day, with all the boys coming together for a nice awards ceremony and pizza party after the game.
