High School Baseball

BY MARCUS HENRY

Due to inclement weather Game 3 of the Suffolk Class AA baseball final between second-seeded West Islip and No. 4 Commack was suspended.

The game will resume on Monday at 4 p.m. with host West Islip leading 11-5 with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

It was all West Islip as Nick Tropeano was 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Patrick Cantwell reached base three times and scored three runs. Commack starter Ryan Pfaeffle, who pitched in relief of Friday's 6-5 win, was ineffective Saturday as he got tagged for seven runs and eight hits over two-plus innings.

Tropeano, West Islip's Game 1 winnner, will pitch on Monday. Commack coach Ed Boll hasn't made up his mind on his pitcher.

Well, it looks as if all the AA teams left standing are playing the world's most tiring game of chicken. Mepham, Massapequa, MacArthur and East Meadow - the four teams who have spent the entire season beating each other up - are all going to deciding game threes today.

Paul Bischoff

Less dramatic theatrics at East Meadow, where MacArthur pitcher John Krause shut down the EM offense in a 4-0 win.

Massapequa and MacArthur have jostled for the top spot in AA-I all season, but it'll be interesting to see if EM and especially Mepham, which has had less than a spectacular season, can dethrone the leaders.

Another shocker: Island Trees goes down, 8-3. And I was so sure that they were going to go far this year (see: the last two or three Nassau rankings that I did). But let's face it - Paul Bischoff is pretty much unstoppable right now: 2-for-4 with two RBIs and he tossed a four-hitter with six strikeouts for the win.

- Laura Albanese

2008 NYSSWA rankings (through May 21)
Rank Record Prev
Class AA

1. LaSalle-2 14-0
2. Mamaroneck-1 19-1
3. Patchogue-Medford-11 20-2
4. Half Hollow Hills West-11 19-2
5. Horseheads-4 18-4
6. Roy C. Ketcham-1 16-4
7. Hilton-5 17-4
8. Shenendehowa-2 16-4
9. Liverpool-3 16-4-1
10. Vestal-4 17-3
11. Massapequa-8 14-5-2
12. Greece Athena-5 15-5
13. Washingtonville-9 15-5
14. John Jay, Cross River-1 17-2
15. East Meadow-8 14-6-1
16. Bethlehem-2 13-5
17. Rome Free Academy-3 14-7
18. Jamestown-6 14-7
19. Webster Schroeder-5 12-5
20. Clarence-6 12-7

Class A

1. Cornwall-9 18-1
2. Albion-6 16-1
3. Maine-Endwell-4 15-1
4. Pelham-1 17-2
5. Whitesboro-3 16-3
6. Lakeland-1 14-3
7. Islip-11 18-4
8. Island Trees-8 18-4
9. Victor-5 17-5
10. Dunkirk-6 15-4
11. Oneonta-4 14-4
12. New Paltz-9 13-4
13. Grand Island -6 15-1
14. Mexico-3 17-5
15. Pittsford Sutherland-5 17-5
16. Rocky Point-11 17-5
17. Clarke-8 16-5-1
18. South Glens Falls-2 14-6
19. Scotia-2 13-7
20. Massena-10 8-6

Class B

1. Chenango Valley-4 18-0
2. Somers JFK-1 18-2
3. Chatham-2 18-2
4. Westhill-3 16-2
5. Pine Plains-9 16-2
6. Ogdensburg-10 13-2
7. Lansing-4 19-3
8. Bath-5 16-3
9. Syracuse CBA-3 16-3
10. LeRoy-5 14-1
11. Adirondack-3 16-3
12. Saranac-7 11-3
13. Eden-6 11-4
14. Marlboro-9 14-5
15. Greece Odyssey-5 12-5
16. Liberty-9 15-5
17. Newfane-6 10-4
18. Center Moriches-11 16-6
19. Briarcliff-1 14-6
20. Oyster Bay-8 12-8


Class C

1. Westfield-6 14-0
2. Lyons-5 15-1
3. Pulaski-3 11-1
4. Ticonderoga-2 11-1
5. Fabius-Pompey-2 10-1
6. Waterford-2 17-2
7. Elmira Heights Edison-4 15-3
8. Alexander-5 17-3
9. Bolivar-Richburg-5 15-2
10. Candor-4 15-3
11. Tuckahoe-1 12-3
12. Frewsburg-6 13-4
13. Cooperstown-3 14-4
14. Millbrook-9 11-4
15. Port Jefferson-11 16-5
16. Oakfield-Alabama-5 16-3
17. Germantown-2 13-5
18. S.S. Seward-9 15-5
19. Southold/Greenport-11 16-6
20. Friends Academy-8 12-9


Class D

1. Heuvelton-10 12-0
2. Crown Point-7 14-0
3. Edmeston-4 15-2
4. Loudonville Christian-2 13-3
5. Avoca-5 13-4
6. Rome Catholic-3 13-4
7. Deposit-4 11-3
8. Pine Valley-6 12-4
9. Oriskany-3 14-6
10. Lake George-2 13-2
11. Arkport-5 9-1
12. South Kortright-4 13-3
13. Fillmore-5 9-5
14. North Collins-6 13-7
15. Lisbon-10 7-4

BY ADAM RONIS

I asked St. John the Baptist junior first baseman Anthony Zarrella if he ever envisioned the moment that happened today when No. 2 St. John the Baptist upset top-seeded St. Dominic, 13-3, to win the deciding Game 3 of the CHSAA championship at Molloy.

"Not a chance," he said. "We started off the season terrible. It’s the best feeling in the world."

It was an awfully impressive run. St. Dominic had visions of winning its first title; had the league pitcher of the year in Justin Jorgensen and the player of the year in Dan Lackner. The Bayhawks were favored after clearly being the best team in the regular season. They have to be awfully be disappointed, but there's no denying SJB was the better team in the series.

SJB athletic director Ralph Dalton said the series was intense and emotional, but he gave credit to Lackner for coming over to the dugout following the game and congratulating the Cougars. Dalton said it was a class move.

I saw SJB four times in the postseason and they played excellent baseball. They consistently hit the ball hard and that includes everyone in the lineup. The defense was solid and you couldn't have asked for more from a pitching staff that had no varsity experience before this season.

Kevin Courtney, a sophomore lefthander, was the linchpin going 10-0. St. Dominic went 20-5 and lost three times to SJB and Courtney beat the Bayhawks twice.

"He was tough," St. Dom's coach Rick Garrett said. "He commanded that mound and did a great job. They put the bat on the ball and make things happen."

Give some credit to senior catcher Matthew Simone, who will play at Iona for handling an inexperienced staff.

"This run was awesome," he said. "They took on a lot of responsibility.They just got after it. They had a carefree attitude and took whatever confronted them."

SJB won its first championship since 2002 and 9th overall. SJB opened the season against St. Dom's, Kellenberg and Commack.

"We started off slow," SJB coach John Habyan said. "I knew it was going to take time for this team to evolve. I thought we were sputtering before the playoffs and we regrouped. We evolved quicky and put it together as a team. We played good, sound baseball."

Here are some SJB stats from today's game:
Simone 2-for-4, with a walk, double and three RBIs
Casey McKay 1-for-3, BB and an RBI
Anthony Zarrella 2-for-4 with a double, homer and three RBIs (Championship MVP)
Frank Loiacono 2-for-4 two RBIs
Joshua Sharpe 1-for-3, two walks, a stolen base and an RBI
James Carey 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs
Courtney 7 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

For more on the game, check out tomorrow's paper.

Here's the online story. The SJB record is listed wrong. The Cougars finished 18-8, not 19-7.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/highschool/ny-skjohn0529,0,4616359.story

BY MARCUS HENRY

Wednesday should be an interesting day for the Clarke and Seaford baseball programs. Game 1 between the teams was suspended on Tuesday after four-plus innings due to inclement weather with top-seeded Clarke ahead, 10-3. Seaford had three runs in and a man on second with no outs in the top of the fifth when the game was called.

Game 1 will resume Wednesday at Clarke at 3:00 p.m. At the conclusion of the game, the teams will pack up and head to Seaford for Game 2. It's a situation Clarke coach Tom Abruscato said he hasn't experienced.

"It's the fair thing to do," Abruscato said. "Both games could have been played here, but no team wants to give up a home game in a best-of-three."

Rob Iovino and Mike Jungen each homered off Sean Nolan in the first inning to give Clarke a 3-0 lead. Clarke added seven more in the second and led 10-0.

BY ADAM RONIS

The deciding game of the CHSAA baseball best-of-three championship series between St. Dominic and St. John the Baptist was postponed today with one out in the bottom of the second inning due to lightning at NYIT. The game will resume from where it was halted at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at Molloy. St. John the Baptist was leading 1-0.
Lightning was appeared at 4:55 p.m. and the game had to be stopped for at least one-half hour. A few more lightning bolts occurred during the stoppage and the game was postponed, even though no heavy rain had fallen by 5:50 p.m.
Both coaches said the starters from yesterday’s game will pitch today. Second-seeded St. John the Baptist will go with sophomore lefthander Kevin Courtney, who is 9-0 this season, including a win over St. Dominic. Courtney went 1 1/3 innings and allowed no hits, struck out one and walked two.
The top-seeded Bayhawks will throw junior righthander John Yohe. He threw 31 pitches over two innings and allowed three hits, one run and no walks.
St. John the Baptist (17-8) scored its run in the top of the first inning. Matthew Simone led off the game with a double to right-centerfield and scored on Anthony Zarrella’s one-out double to deep rightfield.
After an error and a hit batsman to load the bases, St. Dominic caught a break when Thomas Quicker hit a grounder to shortstop. Courtney, the runner at first base, was called out for a takeout slide and the double play was awarded to St. Dominic (20-4). The umpire ruled Courtney raised his foot up and made contact with second baseman Brandon Stahl.
Dan Lackner led off the bottom of the second inning with a walk and advanced to second on a throwing error. Lackner went to third on a groundout and Stephen Nassani was at the plate with a 1-and-1 count when the game was stopped.

BY ADAM RONIS

After a deflating loss in Game 1 of the best-of-three CHSAA championship, St. Dominic bounced back in Game 2 with a 3-2 win today against St. John the Baptist at NYIT. SJB used a seven-run seventh inning to win Game 1, 11-5. St. Dominic committed eight errors in Game 1, including three in the seventh leading to seven unearned runs. SJB took advantage with 12 hits.

Game 3 will be played tomorrow 4:15 p.m. at NYIT. Kyle Hansen overcame dehydration, dizzyness (we assume not from watching his team's defense), an error in the sixth and another in the seventh on a fly ball that would have ended the game. He threw a four-hitter, struck out nine, walked two and allowed one earned run.

"We just need to give him a couple of runs and we win," St. Dominic rightfielder Dan Lackner said of Hansen. "Kyle is very mentally strong. He's very mature for his age. Baseball really is half mental and that’s one of his biggest strengths."

St. Dominic hasn't lost two consecutive games this season and Hansen made sure the streak remained intact.

"Kyle started us off," St. Dominic coach Rick Garrett said. "He brings that 90-plus fastball in the first inning and the team knew he was here. He said I got the ball. Follow me. What we did in Games 1 and 2, we probably didn’t do all season if you added up every game. Sometimes when it rains, it pours."

SJB junior Brendan McLaughlin pitched real well for the second straight playoff game. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out six.

"It was a pitcher’s duel," SJB coach John Habyan said. "Both kids pitched great ball games."

Who thought SJB would be in this situation? After losing in the championship last season, SJB returned no pitchers with varsity experience. The team has played with the poise of a veteran team the last few weeks. They have hit the ball conisistently hard in the postseason against good pitchers.

"They’ve really been doing a great job," Habyan said. "I knew it would take a season for them to get comfortable. They have some confidence right now. We’re facing a good team. As a coach you expect them to evolve.Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. This year it has."

Either way, a great story will emerge tomorrow. St. Dominic will win its first championship or SJB will cap a tremendous run.

For more on today's games, check out my two stories in tomorrow's paper.

Suffolk Top 10

1. Patchogue-Medford
2. West Islip
3. Commack
4. Islip
5. Half Hollow Hills West
6. St. John the Baptist
7. Sachem North
8.Harborfields
9. Bay Shore
10. Glenn

Class AA Second Round: all games at 4 p.m.
(7) Sachem North at (6) Lindenhurst,
(4) Commack at (2) West Islip,
(13) Bay Shore at (5) Connetquot,
(10) Kings Park at (3) Half Hollow Hills West.
(9) Hauppauge at (1) Patchogue-Medford.

Class A Second Round: all at higher seeds, 4 p.m.,
(2) Harborfields at (1) Islip,
(7) Glenn at (3) Rocky Point,
(8) Mt. Sinai at (4) Sayville.

Wednesday
CHSAA
Semifinals, Game 1, at Lower Seeds
(1) St. Dominic at (4)St. Anthony’s, 4:15 p.m.
(2) St. John the Baptist at (3) Holy Trinity, 4:15 p.m.

SUFFOLK
Class AA Outbracket
(17) West Babylon at (16) East Islip, 4 p.m.

Class A First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.
Game A, (4) Sayville at (1) Islip
Game B, (3) Rocky Point at (2) Harborfields
Game C, (8) Mt. Sinai at (5) Miller Place
Game D, (7) Glenn at (6) Shoreham-Wading River

Class B First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.
Game A, (4) Center Moriches at (1) Mattituck
Game B, (3) Southold/Greenport at (2) Bayport-Blue Point

Thursday

Class AA First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.
Game A, (4) Commack at (1) Patchogue-Medford
Game B, (3) Half Hollow Hills West at (2) West Islip
Game C, (15) Northport at (6) Lindenhurst
Game D, (14) Smithtown West at (7) Sachem North
Game E, (12) Riverhead at (9) Hauppauge
Game F, (11) North Babylon at (10) Kings Park
Game G, (13) Bay Shore at (8) Smithtown East
Game H, (17) West Babylon-(16) East Islip winner at (5) Connetquot

Class A Second Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.

Class B Second Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.

Class C Second Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.

CHSAA
Semifinals, Game 2, at higher seeds
(4)St. Anthony’s at (1) St. Dominic, 4 :15 p.m.
(3)Holy Trinity at (2) St. John the /Baptist, 4:15 p.m.

Peter Magistrale, Smithtown East

Magistrale kicked off the week going 3-for-3 with a triple, double, an RBI and four runs and four stolen bases in the first of a three-game series against Newfield. In that game, he also walked and stole second, third and home to produce a run. In Game 2, he went 2-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases and pitched his team to victory by allowing seven hits with three strikeouts in a 6-3 win. In Game 3, he hit a winning three-run home run in the top of the seventh to break a tie at 6.

Scott Swanson, Bellmore JFK

Swanson threw a no-hitter against Herricks (which finished second in Conference AA-III) on Tuesday. The senior right-hander also struck out a career-high 14 and walked two in the 3-0 win. Swanson added an RBI single in the sixth

Rankings below the cut...

All the Nassau baseball games scheduled for today have been postponed till tomorrow. All Games 3s will be played, as scheduled, on Thursday (barring rain).

Also, results from yesterday, for your perusal:

Massapequa 13, Port Washington 0
East Meadow 8, Bellmore JFK 0
MacArthur 7, Plainview JFK 2
Mepham 11, Calhoun 9

Clarke 14, Glen Cove 3
Division 13, Bethpage 0
Island Trees 2, Wantagh 1
Seaford 8, Garden City 7

Oyster Bay 6, Locust Valley 5
Cold Spring Harbor 11, Malverne 6

East Rockaway 8, Friends Academy 1

And, because IPPSAL really doesn't get enough love, No. 1 Upper Room defeated No. 4 Portledge in the semifinals, 13-3. Upper Room advances to the finals against No. 2 Our Savior New American on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Portledge. Upper Room is looking for it's fifth title in six years.

- LA

Tuesday
Class AA Outbracket
(17) West Babylon at (16) East Islip, 4 p.m.

Wednesday
Class AA First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.
Game A, (4) Commack at (1) Patchogue-Medford
Game B, (3) Half Hollow Hills West at (2) West Islip
Game C, (15) Northport at (6) Lindenhurst
Game D, (14) Smithtown West at (7) Sachem North
Game E, (12) Riverhead at (9) Hauppauge
Game F, (11) North Babylon at (10) Kings Park
Game G, (13) Bay Shore at (8) Smithtown East
Game H, (17) West Babylon-(16) East Islip winner at (5) Connetquot

Class A First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.
Game A, (4) Sayville at (1) Islip
Game B, (3) Rocky Point at (2) Harborfields
Game C, (8) Mt. Sinai at (5) Miller Place
Game D, (7) Glenn at (6) Shoreham-Wading River

Class B First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.
Game A, (4) Center Moriches at (1) Mattituck
Game B, (3) Southold/Greenport at (2) Bayport-Blue Point

Class C First Round, at higher seeds, 4 p.m.

There have been some requests to explain how teams got where they did in the postseason.

Yes, it's possible to win your league and not get into the postseason, but it's even weirder than that.

All the AA-I and II teams are in. That's already 10. The top AA-III team is in and then it's either the second-best team in AA-III or the top team in AA-IV. For the top team (Port Wash) to get in, they needed to win something like 88 percent of their games. If they didn't do this (they did), the No. 2 AA-III team gets the spot. Twelve teams make it from AA.

ABC gives me conniptions. All of ABC-I and II are in. That's 10. In ABC-III, South Side and Mineola are automatically in. Why? Because every other team in that league is a B or C school and also in. The top two teams in ABC-IV are in and the top team in ABC-V is in. THEN, the top team in ABC-VI is in, but only if no one in ABC-VII wins more than 88 percent of their games. If a team does, as West Hempstead did this year, the winning ABC-VI team doesn't make it and the ABC-VII team does. In all,16 teams advance.

In the B schools (schools with a smaller enrollment): All the B teams in ABC-III are in (Oyster Bay, Cold Spring Harbor and Malverne). The B teams in ABC-IV and V make it (Locust Valley and Carle Place), as does the top B team in ABC-VI.

Class C is lovely and only has two teams to worry about, Friends and East Rock, which are both in.

- Laura Albanese

BY LAURA ALBANESE

Massapequa ace Mike Mandarino

Nassau kicked off its postseason in a brutal one-and-done first round on Saturday. Say what you will, but any team can beat any other team in a one game series, regardless of how many all-county kids clutter the lineup. The result? Some truly interesting upsets and what will no doubt turn out to be whole lotta adolescent athlete drama come Monday.

Speaking of Monday, with Nassau baseball being Nassau baseball, the matchups don't always follow the brackets posted up on the Section VIII website. Thus, I bring to you:

The Guide to the Quarterfinals (subject to changes and revisions, because if the county can play around with seeding and matchups, so can I...Kidding! Sort of!)

Remember, these are all best-of-three.

Class AA: The top four teams had a bye into the quarterfinals.

Port Washington (12) at Massapequa (1).
Bellmore JFK (11) at East Meadow (2)
Plainview (9) at MacArthur (3)
Calhoun (7) at Mepham (4)

Class A:

Glen Cove (10) at Clarke (1)
Bethpage (9) at Division (2)
Wantagh (6) at Island Trees (3)
Garden City (5) at Seaford (4)

Class B: Top two teams got the bye

Locust Valley (4) at Oyster Bay (1)
Malverne (3) at Cold Spring Harbor (2)

Class C: Only two teams in C. They'll play a best-of-three at SUNY Farmingdale, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday if needed (4 p.m.)

East Rockaway (2) at Friends Academy (1)

Stay tuned. I'll be updating this space periodically with results.

You may not believe it, but there are meaningful baseball games being played in Nassau this week (and I'm not talking about Saturday's playoff games, either.)

Port Washington needs to win.

It's not so much a new sentiment, of course. The team went into the season knowing that there were no such things as breathing room and easy weeks. Ability-based grouping made sure of that. They are 13-2 in league, giving them the AA-IV title, and 15-3 overall, and still it's not enough for a spot in the post-season. Port Washington, which last lost to Great Neck South on May 2, must sweep Hempstead (2-13, 3-14) to advance.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting Major League flashbacks (oh, come one, I can't be the only one who watched/loved that movie. Team that has historically missed the post-season having to go on an incredible run blahblahblahsports cliche awesomeness. I've never seen Jordan Epstein and I have no idea whether he bares any resemblance to Charlie Sheen, but I sure hope he does.)

Add that to a couple of close calls in the past week or so, and there's no doubt that the Vikings are feeling the heat. There were the two one-run wins to Uniondale and the one-run win to GNS the series before that. And, if they don't pull this one out, Bellmore-JFK gets to advance. Fun!

I'll keep you guys posted on this one.

- Laura Albanese

St. Dominic 12-3 0.800 *
Holy Trinity 10-6 0.625
St. John's 11-7 0.611
Kellenberg 8-7 0.533
St. Mary's 5-11 0.313
St. Anthony's 5-11 0.313
Chaminade 5-11 0.313
* Clinched 1st Round Bye

Stats through May 11

Average (min 40 AB, .250+)
Gerald Levano CH 0.457
John Apostolo STM 0.425
Tom Quicker SJB 0.425
Ryan Campbell STA 0.391
Anthony Brunetti HT 0.390
Kevin Maccarone SD 0.372
Mike Georgeou STM 0.364
Anthony Zarella SJB 0.353
Dan Lackner SD 0.340
Matt Simone SJB 0.340
Erik Pyle KEL 0.333
Shawn Rooney SJB 0.333
Derek Hirsch SD 0.327
Colin Lyall KEL 0.327
Daniel DeVito HT 0.326
Billy Ruggiero STA 0.325
Anthony Italiano STA 0.319
Keith Picconi CH 0.319
Joe Masone HT 0.318
Peter August HT 0.308
Larry Cornelia STA 0.304
Mike Ligouri CH 0.283
Brandon Stahl SD 0.283
John Yohe SD 0.279
Gabby Lebron SD 0.267
Chris Ferriggi KEL 0.255
Dan Murray SJB 0.250
Frank Palmieri CH 0.250
Greg Walsh HT 0.250

Home Runs
Dan Lackner SD 5
Anthony Brunetti HT 2
John Apostolo STM 1
Peter August HT 1
Joe Bencivenga KEL 1
Walter Bishop KEL 1
Colin Lyall KEL 1
Joe Masone HT 1
Matt Parker STA 1
Erik Pyle KEL 1
Matt Simone SJB 1
Anthony Zarella SJB 1

RBI (10 or more)
Dan Lackner SD 22
Peter August HT 13
Shawn Rooney SJB 12
Anthony Brunetti HT 11
Kevin Courtney SJB 11
Kevin Maccarone SD 11
Marc Buccellato STM 10
Daniel DeVito HT 10
Derek Hirsch SD 10
Tom Quicker SJB 10

Stolen Bases (5 or more)
Ryan Campbell STA 16
Anthony Italiano STA 9
Matt Simone SJB 9
Colin Lyall KEL 8
Greg Walsh HT 8
Mike Ligouri CH 7
Matt Malley HT 7
Matt Parker STA 7
Dan Lackner SD 6
Gabby Lebron SD 5
Frank Palmieri CH 5

Wins
Kevin Courtney SJB 6
Kyle Hansen SD 5
Justin Jorgensen SD 4
John Apostolo STM 3
Thomas Buckley KEL 3
Anthony Eichorn STA 3
Matt Marinelli HT 3
Dan McCrea HT 3
Brendan McLaughlin SJB 3
TJ Arsenault SD 2
Darren Dawber STA 2
Chris Ferriggi KEL 2
Chris Murphy CH 2
Erik Pyle KEL 2
Mike Tamburino HT 2
Joseph Florio HT 1
Tom Grasing HT 1
Ethan Loosen KEL 1
Conor Mascetti CH 1
Dan Murphy CH 1
Tom O'Neill SJB 1
Brian Rush SJB 1
Andrew Salomon STM 1
Charlie Steinman CH 1
Joey Tracy STM 1
John Yohe SD 1

Saves
John Sigignano SJB 2
John Apostolo STM 1
TJ Arsenault SD 1
Gary Bitetto KEL 1
Greg Ciavarella KEL 1
Conor Mascetti CH 1
Rich Potapchuk HT 1

ERA (min 25 IP-3.00 or better)
Dan McCrea HT 0.20
Kyle Hansen SD 0.43
Justin Jorgensen SD 0.70
Thomas Buckley KEL 1.17
John Apostolo STM 1.44
Matt Marinelli HT 1.63
Kevin Courtney SJB 1.78
Chris Ferriggi KEL 1.88
Chris Murphy CH 1.98
Brendan McLaughlin SJB 2.08
John Yohe SD 2.43
Mike Tamburino HT 2.60
Conor Mascetti CH 2.98

Strikeouts (25 or more)
Justin Jorgensen SD 45
Thomas Buckley KEL 41
Chris Ferriggi KEL 39
John Apostolo STM 38
Kyle Hansen SD 38
Chris Mercuriello STA 29
Darren Dawber STA 28
Dan McCrea HT 28
Chris Murphy CH 26
Mike Tamburino HT 26

Nassau top 10

1. Island Trees (16-2)

2. Massapequa (13-4-2)

3. East Meadow (13-4-2)

4. St. Dominic (14-3)

5. MacArthur (12-6)

6. Carey (13-4)

7. Clarke (12-5)

8. Division (12-6)

9. Calhoun (10-5)

10. Port Washington (15-3)

Suffolk top 10

1. Patchogue-Medford (17-2)

2. HHH West (16-2)

3. West Islip (15-3)

4. Islip (16-4)

5. Lindenhurst (13-5)

6. Commack (12-6)

7. Sachem North (14-4)

8. Harborfields (14-5)

9. Rocky Point (15-4)

10. Miller Place (13-5)

P.J. Ofrias, Southold/Greenport: The junior third baseman was 6-for-11 last week. He went 3-for-5 with three home runs and nine RBIs, including a grand slam in a win over Mercy on May 7. He went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI the next day.

Matt Magliaro, Lawrence: The senior pitcher/leftfielder, who was playing with a stomach virus, threw a one-hitter and struck out 10 in a win over Great Neck North on May 5. He went 2-for-3 with two walks, two stolen bases, one run and an RBI. He missed school the following day and didn't play. In the final game, he went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the save.

Class AA

1. Mamroneck-1 12-1
2. Roy C. Ketcham-1 11-0
3. Patchogue-Medford-11 14-2
4. Vestel-4 13-2
5. Canisius-6 10-1
6. Hilton-5 12-2
7. Liverpool-3 13-2
8. West Islip-11 13-2
9. Massapequa-8 11-3-1
10. John Jay Cross River-1 11-1
11. Half Hollow Hills West-11 13-2
12. Hamburg-6 6-1
13. Washingtonville-9 12-3
14. Lindenhurst-11 11-4
15. Horseheads-4 12-3
16. Webster Schroder-5 8-3
17. Warwick-9 9-3
18. East Meadow-8 10-4-1
19. Clarkstown South-1 12-4
20. Greece Athena-5 8-3

Class A

1. Cornwall-9 12-1
2. New Hartford-3 11-1
3. Albion-6 9-1
4. Lakeland-1 11-1
5. Maine Endwell-4 10-1
6. Pelham-1 12-1
7. Island Trees-8 13-2
8. Oneonta-4 11-2
9. Whitesboro-3 11-2
10. Pittsford-Sutherland-5 8-3
11. Dunkirk-6 11-3
12. Islip-11 13-4
13. New Paltz-9 9-3
14. Grand Island-6 12-0
15. Massena-10 4-2
16. Harborfields-11 12-4
17. Rocky Point-11 14-3
18. Somers-1 8-4
19. Clarke-8 9-4-1
20. Victor-5 11-5

Class B

1. Chenango Valley-4 13-0
2. John F. Kennedy-1 13-2
3. Westhill-3 10-1
4. Pine Plains-9 10-1
5. Greece Odyssey-5 8-1
6. Lansing-4 11-2
7. Bath-Haverling-5 10-2
8. Saranac-7 6-0
9. Midlakes-5 7-1
10. Ogdensburg-10 5-1
11. Adirondak-3 11-3
12. CBA (Syracuse)-3 8-2
13. Marlboro-9 11-4
14. Potsdam-10 4-1
15. Mattituck-11 13-5
16. Falconer-6 6-3
17. Windsor-4 11-3
18. Newfane-6 3-1
19. Pleasantville-1 7-4
20. Eden-6 6-4

Class C

1. Ft. Plain-2 10-0
2. Westfield-6 9-0
3. Alexander-5 13-1
4. Thomas A. Edison-4 11-2
5. Candor-4 11-1
6. Port Jefferson-11 13-2
7. Tuckahoe-1 9-2
8. Pulaski-3 6-1
9. Bolivar-Richburg-5 9-2
10. Fabius-Pompey-3 5-1
11. Millbrook-9 9-3
12. St. Mary's-6 9-3
13. Frewsburg-6 6-3
14. S.S. Seward-9 11-4
15. Lyons-5 11-0
16. Valhalla-1 10-4
17. Mercy-11 11-5
18. Frankfort-Schuyler-3 8-1
19. Cooperstown-3 6-3
20. East Rockaway-8 9-9

Class D

1. Heuvelton-10 7-0
2. Arkport-5 7-0
3. Crown Point-7 5-0
4. Avoca-5 7-3
5. Deposit-4 7-2
6. Edmeston-4 9-2
7. Rome catholic-3 9-4
8. Oriskany-3 9-2
9. Hammondsport-5 7-3
10. Pine Valley-6 5-3
11. Chateaugay-10 2-1
12. Sackets Harbor-3 5-1
13. Andover-5 5-2
14. Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton-4 7-1
15. Lisbon-10 3-1

BY ADAM RONIS

It has been a long time since Central Islip attained victory. So long, CI coach Roy Pakett wasn't sure of the exact losing streak until he looked it up. Central Islip last won in May 2006 and had lost 40 consecutive games until beating first-place Commack, 3-2, today.

"I'm very proud that we had the lead and didn't back down," Pakett said. "We had an outstanding pitching performance. They're used to a bad outcome."

Michael Cruz hit a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Central Islip (1-13) a 3-2 lead in League II. Commack had first and third in the top of the seventh with no outs and on a suicide squeeze the batter popped it up to the pitcher and he threw to first to get the double play. The next batter flew out to rightfield to end the game. Richard Savwoir threw a seven-hitter, struck out four, walked two and allowed two earned runs. Central Islip won for the first time since 2006. Central Islip had lost 38 straight games dating back to the beginning of last season. Commack is 10-4.

"The overall improvement since day one has been phenomenal," Pakett said. "We practice six days a week, three hours a day regardless what our record is."

Commack beat Central Islip, 9-0 on Monday.

This is the sixth season for Pakett as coach at CI. The team was the No. 5 seed in the playoffs his first year and it has been all downhill since.

"All of a sudden, we couldn't win," Pakett said. "We don't have the depth to compete in League II. Our goal is just to be comeptitive. We lose 7-3 and we're happy."

But the team was rewarded for staying upbeat in a season in which its closest defeat was 5-2.

"It was fabulous," Pakett said. "This is proof you never give up. These guys always play hard."

CI has lost by an average of 8.8 runs.

CHSAA standings heading into Monday
St. Dominic 11-2 0.846
Holy Trinity 10-6 0.625
St. John the Baptist 9-6 0.600
Kellenberg 7-6 0.538
St. Anthony's 4-9 0.308
Chaminade 4-9 0.308
St. Mary's 3-10 0.231

Stats though May 3
Average (min 32 AB, .250+)
Gerald Levano CH 0.432
John Apostolo STM 0.406
Erik Pyle KEL 0.400
Tom Quicker SJB 0.394
Anthony Brunetti HT 0.390
Colin Lyall KEL 0.381
Joey Tracy STM 0.375
Mike Georgeou STM 0.371
Matt Parker STA 0.364
Dan Lackner STD 0.341
Matt Simone SJB 0.333
Dan DeVito HT 0.326
Derek Hirsch SD 0.318
Joe Masone HT 0.318
Anthony Zarella SJB 0.318
Keith Picconi CH 0.316
Ryan Campbell STA 0.313
Anthony Italiano STA 0.313
Shawn Rooney SJB 0.310
Peter August HT 0.308
Kevin Maccarone SD 0.308
John Yohe SD 0.306
Brandon Stahl SD 0.289
Michael Ligouri CH 0.282
Chris Ferriggi KEL 0.256
Gabby Lebron SD 0.256
Dan Murray SJB 0.256
Frank Loiacono SJB 0.250
Greg Walsh HT 0.250

Home Runs
Dan Lackner SD 5
Anthony Brunetti HT 2
John Apostolo STM 1
Peter August HT 1
Joe Bencivenga KEL 1
Walter Bishop KEL 1
Colin Lyall KEL 1
Joe Masone HT 1

Stolen Bases
Ryan Campbell STA 15
Matt Simone SJB 8
Greg Walsh HT 8
Michael Ligouri CH 7
Matt Malley HT 7
Dan Lackner SD 5
Gabby Lebron SD 5

RBIs
Dan Lackner SD 20
Peter August HT 13
Anthony Brunetti HT 11
Kevin Courtney SJB 10
Dan DeVito HT 10
Kevin Maccarone SD 10
Joe Bencivenga KEL 8
Brian Hannigan SJB 7
Derek Hirsch SD 7
Gabby Lebron SD 7
Frank Loiacono SJB 7
Colin Lyall KEL 7
Matt Malley HT 7
Tom Quicker SJB 7
Shawn Rooney SJB 7
Marc Buccellato STM 6
Gerald Levano CH 6
Joe Masone HT 6
Erik Pyle KEL 6

Wins
Kevin Courtney SJB 5
Kyle Hansen SD 4
Justin Jorgensen SD 4
Thomas Buckley KEL 3
Matt Marinelli HT 3
Dan McRea HT 3
John Apostolo STM 2
TJ Arsenault SD 2
Chris Ferriggi KEL 2
Brandan McLaughlin SJB 2
Erik Pyle KEL 2
Mike Tamburino HT 2
Joe Florio HT 1
Tom Grasing HT 1
Conor Mascetti CH 1
Chris Murphy CH 1
Dan Murphy CH 1
Tom O'Neill SJB 1
Brian Rush SJB 1
Andrew Salomon STM 1
John Yohe SD 1

Saves
John Sigignano SJB 2
John Apostolo STM 1
TJ Arsenault SD 1
Gary Bitetto KEL 1
Greg Ciavarella KEL 1
Conor Mascetti CH 1
Rich Potapchuk HT 1

ERA (min 21 IP-3.00 or better)
Dan McRea HT 0.20
Kyle Hansen SD 0.55
Justin Jorgensen SD 0.66
Thomas Buckley KEL 1.21
Chris Ferriggi KEL 1.33
John Apostolo STM 1.54
Matt Marinelli HT 1.63
Erik Pyle KEL 1.97
Chris Murphy CH 1.98
Kevin Courtney SJB 2.08
John Yohe SD 2.43
Brandan McLaughlin SJB 2.57
Mike Tamburino HT 2.60
Conor Mascetti CH 2.79

Strikeouts (25 or more)
Justin Jorgensen SD 40
Thomas Buckley KEL 35
Chris Ferriggi KEL 32
John Apostolo STM 31
Dan McRea HT 28
Kyle Hansen SD 27
Chris Mercuriello STA 26
Mike Tamburino HT 26

Dan Lackner (St. Dominic): Lackner hit a one-out RBI double to give St. Anthony’s a 1-0 lead in the top of the ninth inning en route to an 11-0 win on Friday. He had two home runs and seven RBIs in a 10-4 win over St. Anthony’s on Thursday. The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi-bound rightfielder went 4-for-7 with two home runs, eight RBIs, four runs and two walks in the three-game series.

Marcus Stroman (Patchogue-Medford): Stroman threw a four-hitter, struck out 14 and walked none in a 5-0 win over Lindenhurst on Friday. The junior pitcher/shortstop went 3-for-9 with three runs, a walk and two stolen bases in the three-game series. He has 22 steals for the season, which is a single-season program record.

Nassau Top 10

1. Massapequa (11-3-1)
2. Island Trees (13-2)
3. East Meadow (10-4)
4. St. Dominic (13-2)
5. MacArthur (10-6)
6. Calhoun (10-4)
7. Clarke (9-4)
8. Division (10-5)
9. Carey (9-4)
10. Plainedge (9-5)

Suffolk Top 10
1. Patchogue-Medford (15-2)
2. West Islip (13-2)
3. Half Hollow Hills West (13-2)
4. Lindenhurst (11-4)
5. Islip (13-4)
6. Commack (10-5)
7. Harborfields (12-4)
8. Rocky Point (14-3)
9. Miller Place (12-3)
10. St. John the Baptist (11-6)

BY ADAM RONIS

St. Dominic senior righthander Justin Jorgensen signed with Molloy College. He is the ace for St. Dominic, which is in first place in the CHSAA. He is 4-0 with 0.50 ERA and has struck out 40. He threw a two-hitter, walked three and struck out eight in a 1-0 win over St. Anthony's on Wednesday.

2008 NYSSWA rankings (through April 27)

Rank Class AA Record Prev

1. Massapequa-8 7-0
2. Patchogue-Medford-11 10-0
3. Mamaroneck-1 8-0
4. Liverpool-3 7-0
5. East Meadow-8 6-0
6. Roy C. Ketcham-1 8-0
7. Horseheads-4 9-1
8. Hilton-5 7-1
9. Buffalo St. Francis-CHSAA 4-1
10. Guilderland-2 0-0
11. Churchville-Chili-5 3-0
12. John Jay Cross River-1 7-1
13. Vestal-4 6-2
14. Buffalo St. Joe's-CHSAA 3-1
15. Lindenhurst-11 10-2
16. Colonie-2 0-0
17. Arlington-1 7-1
18. Washingtonville-9 8-3
19. Gates Chili-5 3-0
20. Kingston-9 5-3

Class A

1. Cornwall-9 8-0
2. Clarke-8 5-1
3. Pittsford Sutherland-5 7-1
4. Lakeland-1 6-1
5. Jamesville-DeWitt-3 7-1
6. Island Trees-8 6-1
7. Corning East-4 6-2
8. Victor-5 10-3
9. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill-3 6-0
10. Maine-Endwell-4 4-1
11. Sayville-11 7-3
12. Somers-1 6-2
13. Dunkirk-6 6-3
14. South Glens Falls-2 5-3
15. Islip-11 7-3
16. Pelham-1 8-1
17. Omeonta-4 5-2
18. Ogdensburg-10 0-0
19. Saranac-7 0-0
20. Goshen-9 6-4


Class B

1. Chenango Valley-4 8-0
2. Somers JFK-1 9-2
3. Greece Odyssey-5 4-0
4. Marlboro-9 10-1
5. Lansing-4 9-1
6. Falconer-6 3-1
7. Chatham-2 8-1
8. Westhill-3 6-2
9. Mattituck-11 9-3
10. Adirondack-3 5-1
11. Eden-6 0-0
12. Bronxville-1 5-0
13. Windsor-4 6-1
14. Saranac-7 2-1
15. Ogdensburg-10 1-0
16. Maryvale-6 2-0
17. Bath-5 5-1
18. Oyster Bay-8 4-4
19. Spackenkill-9 5-3
20. Salmon River-10 1-0

Class C

1. Candor-4 5-0
2. Westfield-6 7-0
3. Alexander-5 6-0
4. Tuckahoe-1 6-0
5. Cooperstown-3 3-1
6. Frewsburg-6 3-2
7. Bolivar-Richburg-5 3-1
8. Pulaski-3 3-1
9. Valhalla-1 7-1
10. Elmira Heights Edison-4 5-2
11. Millbrook-9 5-2
12. Delhi-4 5-1
13. Tri-Valley-9 4-2
14. Mercy-11 7-2
15. St. Lawrence-10 1-0
16. Keshequa-5 4-1
17. Fabius-Pompey-3 2-1
18. East Rockaway-8 3-3
19. Fort Plain-2 0-0
20. Salem-2 0-0


Class D

1. Deposit-4 4-0
2. Hammondsport-5 4-1
3. Pine Valley-6 5-1
4. Oriskany-3 4-2
5. Avoca-5 4-2
6. West Valley-6 5-2
7. Edmeston-4 4-2
8. Rome Catholic-3 4-2
9. Hamilton-10 2-0
10. Crown Point-7 1-0

BY ADAM RONIS

Chaminade senior Michael Liguori has signed with Pace University to play baseball. He plays catcher and second baseman and will play the outfield, too. He helped the Long Island team win the gold medal at the Empire State games last summer. He hit a pinch hit grand slam in the bottom of the sixth in a 5-1 win over the New York City team