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.