Dr. Barbaro’s Orioles (3) vs.
Domenick’s Italian & American Delicatessen Mariners (10)
Sunday, April 3rd, was a beautiful spring morning to kick off the Merillon Minors Division season. The Mariners came out strong, but the Orioles came right back with Michael Marcy and Tyler Witt scoring on a 3 run home run by Brian Wu. Strong pitching and 7 strikeouts in 3 innings by Thomas Messina kept the Orioles in the game until the Mariners scored 4 runs in the 4th and 5th innings behind strong pitching from Dominic Piccarillo and Andre Colgan. Andrew Casoria, Kevin Fox, Thomas Haug, and Christopher Kerrane had hits in the loss. Robert Cass, Nikko Gounaris, Julian Montenegro and Bailey Lee were solid in defense.
Signs of Love.com BOLTS (12) vs.
BAB Mechanical FIREBALLS (8)
Opening Day saw the BOLTS throw lightning from Lauren Wasserman and Daniella Connor for their first win of the season and first win ever in softball. Joanna Mauceri caught a fly ball in the outfield & threw to Paulina Valentine at second base for an inning ending double play. Logan Ward scored 3 runs & played a hot third base.Olivia Uribe and Cece Schnall shared the catching duties and did a great job behind the plate. Kaitlyn Stoyer, Haylie Lempert and Gabbie Reniere played a solid outfield. Jillian Cooper got on base twice and played a sharp second base. Rachel Schneider got on base twice. Way to go BOLTS!
The All County Business Solution (ACBS) Merillon Blue Angels
vs. The Abrams & Fensterman Merillon Red Sharks
Opening Day! The ACBS Blue Angel veterans Joanna Vissichelli, Amanda Garcia, Michela Guira, Brianna Kerrane, Bridget Koenig, Theresa Patrey, Caitlin Young and Katie Fitzgeraldalong with the returning Lauren Valencia welcomed newcomers (the lady J’s), Jasmine Garnica, Jessica Vieni, Jenna and Jordyn Neu to the team. Thegirls all hit the ball hard led by Lauren’s double and made tremendous plays in the field. The Blue Angels are primed for a very successful season and look forward to showing their prowess against all of the teams in this extended league with other communities. The Blue Angels and the Red Sharks are the future of the Merillon Girls Softball program and they all show the willingness and spirit to learn and become the stars that we all know they are. Stay tuned for some great results and game reports.
Robert J Kurre & Associates,
PC Dodgers vs. Notre Dame CYO Padres
It was a great first game of the season for all our Dodgers this past Sunday. We seemed to be hitting on all cylinders with 5 dodgers going 3-3, Nicholas Rubinic, Thomas Rubinic and Matthew Rubinic (yes, all brothers), James Asmus and Stephen Bracco. Steven even assisted in all three outs in the last inning with two throws to Ralph Bonelli at first and one to Joseph Mattei who on a heads-up play covered third. Nice game guys.
Chico’s Bail Bonds Cubs vs.
Dr. Margaret Zadnik, DDS Nationals
It was a brisk spring day for the opener of the lower farms season but both teams were hot. The Cubs were led by outstanding hitting by Logan Golia, Christopher Gould and Christian Zamora. Daniel Garcia led the charge in the third inning with a double into right field. Brendan Cooper made some nice plays at second base, while Marco Gullo made two nice put-outs on the mound. Arjun Bhatt, Aaron Canese and Joseph Leonard were outstanding behind the plate. The defense was led by Brendon Coogan, James Gensch, Christopher Ribaric and Evan Merensky who were solid in the field. Lets Go Cubs!
Dominick’s Italian & American Delicatessen Mariners (7)
vs. Sportography Giants (3)
The mighty Mariners made it two wins in a row behind powerful pitching by Dominick Piccirillo (3Ks), Thomas Mangin (1K) and Andrew Colgan (2Ks). The key to this game was heads-up base running with Harrison Nettler and Jimmy Denara each swiping two stolenbases. With the game tied at one in the third, James Castaldi delivered a clutch base hit to bring in two runs. Defensive gem of the game was turned in by Nick Lopez, who snared a wicked groundball down the third baseline and fired to first to get the out. Brandon Knupfer took one for the time and showed his grit by finishing the inning. Catcher Mike Zuschlag still hasn’t allowed a stolen base in two games and Parth Patel contributed with solid defense.
The All County Business Solution (ACBS) Merillon Blue Angels
vs. The Manhasset Bandits
It was the ACBS Blue Angel’s first out of league game of the year and the girls continued to impress thefans with their enthusiasm and hard work. A more established Manhasset team made several exceptional plays in the field while our Blue Angels showed that they were equal to the task. The hit parade was led by Bridget Koenig, Theresa Patrey, Caitlin Young, Katie Fitzgerald, Lauren Valencia, Jasmine Garnica, Jessica Vieni, and Jordyn Neu as they were supported by the outstanding defensive efforts of Amanda Garcia, Michela Guira, and Jenna Neu. The Blue Angels are soaring and reaching new heights every game!
Eddie’s Pizza Marlins vs.
P. Dolan, Superintendant of Schools GNSD
PhilliesIt was a freezing night for Eddies Pizza’s Marlins on Tuesday,April 5th. The offense was led by Paul Depaulis,Philip Menist,Hans Dewitte and Spenser Horowitz with 1 hit each. The speed on the base paths was provided by Nicholas Moundros and Ian Tsao eachwith 2 stolen bases. In the field Philip Menist started the game on the hill and Eric Madenberg came in to close it out. Eric also walked twice and had an RBI. Both pitchers showed guts pitching in 30 degree weather. William Regan,Andrew Apazza showed good gloves in the field and Jake Blancher showed his toughness behind the plate. Brian Kornreich was superb as he played catcher for the first time. He also had an RBI fielder’s choice and walked for another RBI.
Modell’s Rays 6 vs.
New Hyde Park Funeral Home Blue Jays (8)
(Suspended Game)
In game shortened to 3.5 innings, the Rays trailed the battling Blue Jays 8-6 in the bottom of the 4th inning when the game was suspended due to darkness. After spotting the Blue Jays a few leads during the game, the Rays showed their toughness by continuing to battle back and keep the game close. In fact, when the game was called the Rays had the tying runs in scoring position with only one out, again showing their never-say-die spirit. The game featured a bunch of standout performances, including strong pitching by Sean O’Connor, Charlie Goodwin and Joey Jacobs (3 up, 3 Ks). Each pitcher threw strike afterstrike, and were quite impressive. The Rays’ bats came alive in theirsecond game of the year, highlighted by smash doubles by Matthew Solomon and Joey Jacobs, as well as Charlie Goodwin. Excellent defense was turned in by Brian Volk, as catcher combining with Joe Sullivan to nail an attempted base-stealer at 3rd, Tyler Dauble, Jake Dieber and Angelo Ferrigno. But the star-turning performance of the evening went to our call-up, Jordan Seidenberg, who not only made an outstanding catch in the OF (and missed byinches of making a diving grab on a hard hit liner), but also nearly nailed two base-runners (one at 3rd and one at home) on bullet throws from the OF and went 1-2 at the plate with a clean smash up the middle. Thanks for playingwith us Jordan!
Knights of Columbus #2852 Merillon Minors Dragons (17)
vs. Douglaston Lady Bombers (6)
The Dragons came out on fire and never looked back. My star of the game was Silvana Seidita who was1-1, two walks and 2RBI’s. An outstanding game, and keep up the good work. Nicole K., Madison S., Una R., and Michaela Z. were great getting on base 14-14 times to keep the runs coming in. Gina P., Brittany L., Cassidy L., contributed to the team as well. I would like to thank Paulina and Lauren for coming to the game on short notice to help us out and they did so by going 5-5 combined and a walk. Great job girls!! The team is starting to jell and I am looking forward to the rest of the season and the playoffs. “LET’S GO DRAGONS”
Stutzman Funeral Home Brewers vs.
Cellini Lodge #2206 Diamondbacks
The sun finally came out on Saturday and it set the stage for a well played baseball game. The Diamonbacks pitching staff comprised of Mathew Strocchia, Cenzo Montoni, Mathew Merolla, Nicholas Levkulic, and ChristopherBruccoleri, pitched very well and kept the D’Back’s in the game. Keeping the pitchers focused on the mound, were Brendan Slattery, Abidin Dauti, and Daniel Mattei as they each called a great game. The offense was powered by AJ Devito and Daniel Goldberg who batted in one RBI each. With two outs in the sixth, Daniel Son demonstrated great patience at bat and worked out a walk to keep the rally going. The Diamondbacks fought the entire game and made a valiant comeback by loading the bases in the bottom of the sixth. I am so proud of their sportsmanship and effort. Stutzman Funeral HomesBrewers continued their excellent play, pitching well hitting well and playing excellent defense. Justin Tamara continued his excellent defense at catchermaking 4 excellent throws and went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 runs scored and 4 stolen bases. William Lentini continued his excellent pitchingthrowing another scoreless inning and went 1 for 3 at the plate with a run scored and an rbi single. Sivas Paturi pitched another scoreless inning anddrove in two runs with well hit forceouts. Jared Puntus also pitched another scoreless inning and scored a run and drew a walk. Adrian Balkcom pitched a scoreless inning striking out all 3 batters he faced drew a walk and scored a run. Danny McCellan pitched an excellent inning giving up an unearned run and went 1 for 2 at the plate driving in 2 runs. Sam Motelson made a nice play in the field forcing a runner for an out and was hit by a pitch. AaronLesser made two great plays in centerfield forcing 2 runners at second base to end innings. Matt Rivera drove in a run with a forceout and pitched the 6th inning striking out the side.
City Line Florist Tigers vs.
Ridgewood Savings Bank Rays
The City Line Florist Tigers were poised to pounce on the Ridgewood Savings Bank Rays on April 9, but were felled by their own good looks. It appears the photographers could not take enough pictures of the ultraphotogenic Tigers (led by the Godfather of Cool Peter Duigan), thus not allowing the boys to get on the field before time had expired. The team had been chomping at the bit during pregame drills,waiting to prove they could still play despite missing superstars Angelo Malandruccolo and Michael Manfredi. Awed spectators were treated to thunderous sounds coming from the batting tees, as Jake Gruosso, Stephen Coffey, and Ryan Zhang bashed bat into ball and ball into fence, much to the delight of local fence contractors. NHL goaltending scouts arrived indroves when they learned of three prodigys (Bobby Symanski, Mitchell Agris, and Michael O’Grady) who wouldn’t allow anything to get past them during fielding practice, and left with heads hung low upon learning the glovemen were only 5. Adding to the chaos was the arrival of 10 local fire companies, who were determined to find the cause of the monsterous cloud of smoke enveloping New Hyde Park. When the dust settled (literally), it was only Team Tigers’ lightning-fast triumverate of Ethans (Ethan Goldberg, Ethan Jhong, and Ethan Vo) flying down the first base line and putting Carl Lewis to shame. Although disappointed at the missed opportunity versus the Rays, these Monsters of Marcus Avenue were able to sharpen their claws whilst striking fear into the hearts of all remaining opponents. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, Tiger fans. It’s going to be a great season!
Piccolo Italian Gourmet Rangers vs. Phillies
The Rangers were lead on Offense by CJ Riccobono who had a big late inning HR and also added 2 more hits in the game to go with 5 Rbi’s. Peter Carreca had 1 hit, 2 walks and 3 steals. David Klebanow had a nice day at the plate with a long triple, double and 3 Rbi’s. Phil Schurr hit a triple to drive in 3 Runs. Brett Figelman had 1 hit and Rbi. Justin Yang batted leadoff for the Rangers and walked 3 times and had 2 steals. Marco Coluccio kept his hot streak going with a long Rbi. Stephen DeRocchis conituned to have a good eye reaching base twice. Spencer Kern had 1 hit and Rbi. Dillon Hod took one for the team twice. The Cy Young award goes to Justin Yang, Phil Schurr, Spencer Kern, Brett Figelman and Peter Carreca. Gold Gloves go to Ryan Gaudino, Jared Murad, CJ Riccobono, Brett Figelman, Peter Carreca, David Klebanow, Marco Coluccio and Spencer Kern. The Rangers continue to play like a team and have fun.
Merillon Minors BAB Mechanical Fireballs (18)
vs HBQVB (0)
The Fireballs celebrated their first victory of the season against a young and eager HBQVB team. A stellar pitching performance was turned in by starter Sophia Leeds with 9 strikeouts and reliever Steph-anie Zovich with 6 K’s. Both girls combined to pitch a no hitter. Sophia also smacked a line drive double to left field bringing in 2 runs. Elise Gonzalez took a beautiful cut and hit a double also driving in a couple of runs. The always solid Silvana Seidita rocked a base hit. Samantha Grenard in the lead off position reached base each time via walks and scored 3 runs. Samantha also did a great job behind the plate as catcher. The big bat of Casey Sanders did it again, hitting a triple. Jillian Bergman, Rachel Moss, and Melanie Feinsilver all showed great patience at the plate and reached based on walks with all the girls scoring many runs. Julia Kosinski had a great turn catching for the first part of the game and got the hit of the day with her game ending GRAND SLAM. Great job girls. GO FIREBALLS!!!!
Modell’s Rays (12) vs.
Grant Thornton Pirates (1)
The Pirates defense was lead by great pitching by Philip Chang who only gave up 1 run in 3 innings pitched. Sean O’Leary caught three strong innings behind the plate. Strong infield defense was demonstrated by Dharyl Moon, Patrick Devine, Sasha Gentile, and Scott Goodman.
The Pirates offense was led by Conor Wong with a single and two stolen bases; Max Dienes with a single; Vittorio DiStefano with a walk; stolen base and run scored; Michael Kurre with a stolen base; Matthew Chen with a walk; and Nicholas Reda with a walk and stolen base.
Denis Barber Shop Royals vs.
Bencivenga Ward & Co., CPA’s, PC Athletics
In the first game of the season the Royals played a strong game in the field and at the plate. Some great fielding plays got the Royals’ season off to a fantastic start. Demetris Panouis caught a pop-up and doubled off the runner, and both Trevor Yee and Jesse Witt also made nice plays on pop-ups. Gavin Borduas made a play on a grounder to his right from the pitcher’s mound and fired to first for another out. At the plate, all the boys made good swings and sharp contact. Luke Notine got the Royals off to a fast start with a hit in the first inning and came around to score. Justin Cosgrove, Dean Caldwell, Ryan Gonzalez, Scott McClellan, Joseph Montoni, Alex Spagnoli, Alfred Squicciarino and Dino Vidaich all had hits in the game, and all the boys showed great hustle and scored runs too. Good game boys, and let’s have a great season! Go Royals!
Queen’s Garden Nursery Bears vs.
Salmon Limousine Service Cyclones
Under brilliant April sunshine on a chilly Saturday afternoon two mighty teams engaged in battle on the emerald diamond at Merillon. Pitching was the theme of the day and it was spectacular. Neither team was able to get their bats in full gear and fans were reminded once again how often the results of this game turn on a single slightly bobbled ball, one wild pitch or the call of an umpire as amidst a cloud of dust and tangled limbs athletic bodies collide at the plate. Although our Bears lost this nail biter 2-1 there was excitement aplenty. Ace Christian Carrick justified his enormous contract and reaffirmed his star power with 5 strikeouts, mowing down batter after batter for three innings of near perfect pitching. He allowed only one earned run. All of his pitches looked good today but it was the heat that ruled. Calling the pitches from behind the plate was his personal catcher Corey Rutkin who also played first base for the last two innings.
Things were a little tense in the fourth as a single and a walk put two of the opponents in scoring position. Mid-reliever Yanni Rigos (three strike-outs) also earned his salary by staying icy calm under pressure and making a superbly executed play at the plate with help from relief catcher Jason Seidman to end the inning. The Bears usually haveseveral big bats but today they were quiet. The exception was Matthew Vowinkle who brought up comparisons to former Yankee star Paul O’Neill. He wasprofessionalism personified, two for three with a triple and a single. Matthew gave everyone a hitting lesson in the second as he fouled off pitch after pitch and then just nailed one way into the outfield. He was called out stealing home on a wild pitch. It was a very close call but the Bears accepted it with the grace of true champions. Great baseball. Other memorable game moments, Jason Seidman crushing one to center (caught but a mighty effort),Anthony Lanzilotta (single) stealing second, third and then home for the team’s only run, and Max Cohn’s two out single in the sixth.
Dr. Margaret Zadnik, DDS Nationals vs.
Chico’s Bail Bonds Cubs
In their 2011 Spring Season Opener, the Nationals came out swinging hard in their first appearance this year versus the Cubs, on a perfect day for spring baseball at the Merillon Athletic Complex. Solid offensive plays were in no short supply, as the Nationals took advantage of each plate appearance to support their team. Notable plate appearances by
Ben Bidner (3-3), JackKareff (3-3), James Prado (3-3), Jonathan Grenard (3-3),Jack Knupfer (3-3), Michael Frising (3-3), Daniel Reilly (3-3), Aidan Chun (3-3) Jon Ziebitsch (3-3), and Cooper Alwadish (3-3) kept the hits and runs coming in during each inning at bat. In the field, smart defensive plays sured up the Nationals effort, with noteworthy contributions by Jackson Benjamin, Jack Kareff, William Rho, Cooper Alwadish, and Erik Lyngstad-Hughes. Both the Nationals and the Cubs played a solid and determined game, with no shortage of great plays and excitement for players, coaches, and parents. It was a terrific outing by the Nationals in their 2011 season debut.
The Office of Business Affairs of St. Joseph’s College Twins
vs.Newman Orthodontics Braves
It was an exciting opening day for the Braves. Leading the offense for the Braves was Matthew Heimowitz with 4 hits including a laser double down the line. Ryan Wasserman, Alex Schwartz, Jimmy Weedon & Edward Mauceri also had 4 hits each. The whole offense came out swinging. Eli Goodwin made a great play at second base grabbing a hot grounder and getting the put out. It was a great game and a great day for both teams Dominick’s Italian & American Deli Mariners (12) vs. Modells Rays (2)
Today’s game turned into a home-run derby with James Castaldi launching his 2nd dinger of the season and Andrew Colgfan and Dominick Picirrillo each going yard for the 1st time this year. Michael Zuschlag thought he had joined the HR club when he sent a long fly ball to right, but it was caught on the warning track.The long ball wasn’t the only offense displayed by the mightyMariners. Nick Lopez and Parth Patel each lined sharp singles and scored runs. Harrison Nettler reached base safely four times and scored, Jimmy Denara was on the base path three times and Shawn Chacko and Thomas Mangin got on base and scored runs
The Gair, Gair & Conason, et. al Angels
The Gair, Gair & Conason, et al Angels played ball for the first time in the 2011 Season. It was a beautiful day and the Angels had a big crowd on hand to witness their skills. There were moms, dads, grand-dads, grand-moms, brothers, sisters, friends and even pets and mascots. These 5 and 6 year-olds are very popular indeed! The Angels really played their very best. The STARS of the game for the first day of drills are: Fielding – Olivia Reese, Julia Renney, Amanda Putter, Katherine Wang and Melanie Ranieri; Batting – Eily Montenegro, Cathy Yang, Stella Bizekis, Amanda Roth, and Emilia Schneiderman; Base Running – Emily Speter, Ashley Wu, Amanda Rosenberg, Elli Lambros and Priya Abraham. On the DNP (did not play) list were Sarah Hershenhorn and Ryley Lum, who will be sure to show their skills next week.
Hand Rolled Bagels Reds (5) vs. Dr. Barbaro Orioles (11)
The Reds got off to a great start in today’s match-up, scratching across 3 runs in the first inning against some tough pitching. Mike Rose scorched a line drive to right field and scored on Elliot Weissman’s shot to right later in the inning. The Reds pushed 2 more runs home in the Third inning, as Mike Rose waited until the ball was on the way to first base before sprinting home on an RBI groundout by Dylan Kareff. Elliot Weissman’s triple to right field closed out the scoring for the Reds in the fifth. Defensively, Eric Del Valle secured a sharp line drive at shortstop to snuff out a rally in the first inning and later in the game assisted on a put-out at third base by taking a throw from Anthony DePompeis in right field and relaying it to Nicholas Femia, who smoothly applied the tag on the advancing runner. The game ball went to Mike Rose who, in addition to smart base running and clutch hitting, retired the side in the fourth inning by striking out two and cleanly fielding a come-backer to end the inning.
The Office Of Business Affairs of St. Joseph’s College Twins
Vs. The Newman Orthodontics Braves
The Twins put forth a phenomenal effort on opening day with each and every player making a contribution. Michael Femia was the star performer with stellar play in the field and multiple extra base hits. Filippo Taravella, LJ Tsiforas, Jack Nathan and Parker Cohen chipped in with big hits as well. Timo Kurpiewski, Jeremy Wong, Tristan Pia, David Son, Evan Lipp and Zachary Israel all put forth excellent efforts in the field. Tristan, David, Evan and Zachary put the team before themselves by volunteering to play behind the plate. All in all it was a tremendous effort by the Twins today. The Twins would also like to congratulate the Braves for their excellent play.
