Seahawks Dream Season Ends
For two straight games the 2009 Carey Seahawks
battled the Massapequa Chiefs at Farmingdale State University for the right to claim Nassau County AA supremacy. In
the end however the Hawks fell just short of their goal as they dropped 4-1 and 3-1 decisions to the four time reigning
Champions.
It goes without saying that there were tears and
extreme disappointment in the Hawks dugout afterwards. They had become only the second team ever in Carey High School's
50+ year history to make it that far. It was a playoff series loss that will sting for a while and, of course, always
conjure up the 'what ifs' in the sports jargon lexicon.
But what these young men learned and did will
far outweigh any Championship T-Shirt, trophy or ring could ever match. For three thrilling months these young men lifted
a community. They made their coaches, their teachers and administrators, their parents, their friends, their classmates,
their local little leaguers all extremely proud. Most people, let alone teenagers, are stationed off to the side as
the action, also known as life, happens without ever getting an opportunity, sometimes by choice, to really make a positive
difference in someone's life. Yet these brilliant young men did it before they even graduated high school. That
is priceless.
Also significantly the greatest lesson learned
by these young men is that how you pursue a goal is even more important than the goal itself because there are never any guarantees
that you will obtain it. Taking pride in what you do and being able to look yourself in the mirror and say I left it
all out there is more than anyone could ever ask for.
So on behalf of the entire Carey Staff, I would
like to thank all of the boys for making these past six months (Yes, we practice all Winter!) the most enjoyable of my coaching
career. I would also like to extend my best wishes to all of the Seniors as they move on into the future as prepared
as we could assist in making them: Jason Alvino-Pinch Running Specialist, Rob Brusca-The Captain and Future Coach, Sal Carillo-2014
MMA Champion To Be, Evan Delgado-Mr. Perseverance, Joe Gregorio-Holder of the Greatest Catch in Seahawks History, Mike Keen-Evan's
Brother :), Steve Mallick-Don't Forget the RBI's, John Molloy-2009 MVP, Kevin Scott-The Gentleman Captain and Most Improved,
Tommy Torregrossa-The Diving Centerfielder and Soon To Be Prowling Panther and last but not least Luke "Goofy" Zahradka-the
Greatest Three Sport Athlete in Carey History.
Hawks Drop Opener 4-1
With a near capacity crowd
looking on at Farmingdale State University, the Seahawks dropped the opener of the Nassau County AA Finals 4-1 to Massapequa
to put the Hawks 2009 season on the brink of extinction once again.
Just two series' ago Mepham had the Hawks
in the same predicament before they were able to bounce back and complete the comeback with big wins to advance.
This time around the Hawks know they
will have both of their All-County pitchers Luke Zahradka and John Molloy available as they look to find their mojo two more
times starting Tuesday at 7:30PM.
The pitching will need to keep the Hawks
close as they adjust to the cavernous confines of FSU by aiming for some some small-ball success that has been their bread
and butter all season. Unfortunately, they will have to do it without second basemen Tom Rydzewski who injured himself
during an around the horn routine in the fourth inning that precipitated a three run fourth for the Chiefs that gave them
the lead for good at 4-1.
Lost in that shuffle were the great catches
by centerfielder Tommy Torregrossa who singlehandedly kept the Hawks close for the first three innings. Relief pitcher
Ron Licciardi was also stellar as his two solid innings gave the Hawks a chance late that they were unable to capitalize on.
Simply put the Hawks offense never got
on track. Their best chance came in the first inning when Kyle DeMeo and Rydzewski singled to open the game, Torregrossa
followed with a good at bat only to see his flair to center get caught. The rally completed fizzled from there as both
Mike Marino and John Molloy were unable to make contact as the 'Pequa pitcher beared down to snuff out the threat.
The Hawks got their only run in the second
on a sacrifice fly by Joe Gregorio after a Rob Brusca walk and two base throwing error put him at third. From there
however the best the Hawks would do was four long outs as Brusca, Al Gentile, Nick Vilchez and DeMeo all flew out deep as
the bandbox known as Carey field was badly missed on this day.
With a team chock full of Seniors there
is no panic but the Hawks will have to elevate their game but fast if they are to keep this dream season alive.
High Flying Hawks Headed to Finals
Flashing back to his touchdown catch
filled football season, Joe Gregorio's sparkling webgem on a liner to right field capped a brilliant career on the Carey Baseball
field home turf for all of the Seniors as they closed out MacArthur 10-7 in game two of the Nassau County AA Semi-Finals. It
also officially punched the Championship Game admission tickets for the Hawks who are now headed to the County Finals
for the first time since 1970.
For the second consecutive game they
also got a bulldog performance from another All-County pitcher as John Molloy threw the team on his back as he went the distance
to gain his 8th win of the season. Despite the seven runs allowed there really was only one unlucky inning where bloops,
HBP's and some questionable walks led to a six run outburst for the Generals in the fifth.
In typical Carey pitching form however,
Molloy tightened it up late retiring eight of the last ten batters which gave the Hawks enough time to come through with a
not soon to be forgotten four run sixth inning to send them home a winner in front of what was easily the largest crowd in
Carey Baseball history.
And with there usual style the rally began
on yet another perfect bunt single as Kevin Scott dropped his fifth bunt single of the year to get the things going.
With Scott on first and two outs already recorded Tom Rydzewski drilled the pitcher with an infield single setting the stage
for Tommy Torregrossa, who skewered a seeing eye single up the middle to tie it at 7-7, then with a hitters count of two and
two Rydzewski and Torregrossa executed a double steal to put both of them in scoring position. Mike Marino (2 for 3)
then cooly delivered a two run single to give the Hawks the lead for good at 9-7. Two pitches later John Molloy dunked
one into short left for the final margin of 10-7 after Marino had advanced to second base.
Early on the Hawks got themselves out
of a huge jam in the first inning by allowing just one run as the bases were loaded with no outs. A squib in front of
the plate led to a 1-0 lead before Molloy whiffed the six hitter, that was followed up by a fly out to center where the Generals
wisely chose not to tag on Torregrossa's cannon. The next hitter forced out to Kyle Demeo and the Hawks regained the
momentum despite going down 1-0.
The 1-0 lead was neutralized in the second
as Rob Brusca crushed a Home Run just inside the third base foul pole for the equalizer. Heading to the bottom half
of the third the Hawks took their second consecutive 5-1 lead, a double by Kevin Scott got it started, that was followed by
Kyle DeMeo who also hit a double which landed in Tent City as the Relay for Life organizers ducked out of the way, Tom Rydzewski
intentionally and unselfishly grounded out to the right side to advance DeMeo, Torregrosa walked, Mike Marino then took his
own tour of Hooverville as he also rocked a white tent in right field, after a Brusca intentional walk, the disrespected Gregorio
got his revenge as he laced a two run single to left to make it 5-1.
Even with the Generals run to make it
7-5 the 'new' Seahawks never buckled and when the rally in the sixth got going the excitement and expectation for success
was palpable. The Seahawks now hope to take that winning formula to Farmingdale State University on Monday June 1st
as they open with either East Meadow or Massapequa with just two games in front of them to stake their claim to greatness.
By the way there is no truth to the rumor that former Carey standout Anthony Marino will be throwing batting practice!!!!
Seahawks Get Jump on Generals
Racing out to a 4-0 lead after two innings
the Seahawks never looked back as they grabbed game one of the Nassau County AA Semifinals 5-3 over the MacArthur Generals.
Early on, small took center stage as
the Hawks strung together three singles, a walk and an HBP to jump ahead 3-0 after one. In the inning, Tommy Torregrossa,
Mike Marino and John Molloy all had base-knocks before Rob Brusca's sacrifice fly finished the scoring at 3-0.
Inning two saw the Hawks plate one more
as they held a clinic on how to steal a run. Joe Gregorio got things going on a swinging bunt, Evan Delgado smoothly
sacrifice bunted him to second, Kevin Scott dropped a bunt single and Kyle Demeo singled home Gregorio for the 4-0 lead.
From there runs were at a premium as
both pitchers 'settled' in. For the Hawks, a gutsy and determined Luke Zahradka easily put together his best
performance to date as he battled not only a tough MacArthur lineup but one of the worst umpiring performances known to man
as the strike zone was about the size of a pretzel.
Despite the frustratrions, Zahradka constantly
kept the Generals in check as he mowed down 10 batters allowing just five hits, three of which came in a two run seventh inning
when he was working on fumes.
Fortunately, his solid defense behind
him kept any comeback talk on the backburner as Tom Rydzewski made a great stab of a hot liner to keep the Generals from having
any thoughts of last minute heroics.
Weather permitting the Hawks are scheduled
to host game two at home on Friday May 29th at 4:45PM.
Seahawks Sink Pirates
Four weeks ago no one on
the roster had ever heard of the term 'Swine Flu', but now after a fortuitous break in the action due to its regrettable
appearance, the Seahawks find themselves headed towards the Nassau County AA Semifinals after a well rested John
Daddino mowed down the power hitting Pirates of Mepham 7-1 in the final game of the three game playoff series.
The Hawks, who will be sailing in unchartered
waters as they move to the Semifinals of Conference AA for the first time in school history must now await the MacArthur-Port
Washington series conclusion to find out who their next opponent will be. If MacArthur wins they will play the Hawks,
if Port Washington wins the Hawks will travel to Massapequa for the next round.
Despite briefly detouring away from the
good pitching and good defense theme in the first two games of the series, the Hawks eventually found their way home as an
errorless, clutch hitting and gritty pitching performance highlighted their series clincher.
Sophomore John Daddino notched his fourth
win of the year as he went the distance allowing just two hits on two walks as he concluded his remarkable dominance of the
number one ranked Mepham offense by completing his 19th inning of work against them giving up just five runs on five hits
while fanning 23.
At the plate small ball converged with
long ball to give the hot hitting Hawks just the right mix as they wrapped up their three game set by putting up their 31st
run of the series.
Game three saw the Hawks put up 10 more
hits as the offense was led by Kyle DeMeo's two doubles, Tom Rydzewski's single (and steal that turned into
the winning run as he scored on a throwing error), Mike Marino's two singles and two RBI's, John Molloy's single,
Rob Brusca's towering Home Run that sparked the sixth inning rally that put the game away, Joe Gregorio's two singles and
two swipes and Evan Delgado's second picture perfect bunt single of the series.
Delgado also shined on defense as his
diving stop with runners on second and third snuffed out Mepham's final rally attempt in the fourth inning when the game was
still tied at 1-1. The webgem obviously inspired Daddino as he retired the last 12 batters he faced to seal it for the
Hawks.
The well earned breather now gives the
Hawks some quality practice time as they continue to move forward in the battle for Conference AA supremacy. The next
game opponent, time and site will be determined by tomorrow night. Stay Tuned Hawks fans and thank you for your
continued support.
Seahawks Outslug Pirates
Facing elimination the Seahawks refused
to walk the plank as they outslugged Mepham 15-11 to ensure that they return home for game three of the Nassau County Conference
AA Quarterfinals.
Mike Marino, John Molloy and Joe Gregorio
each homered in a 10 run second inning that gave the Hawks the lead for good. Despite the big time power the inning
actually got started through the use of some small ball as Joe Gregorio, in his first at bat of the inning, and Evan Delgado
each put down beautiful bunts that gave the Hawks some baseruners as well as some needed momentum.
Before the dust had settled the
Hawks posted nine hits to go with the 10 spot as every starter had at least one hit. Tom Rydzewski had three hits and
an RBI, Tommy Torregrossa had two hits and three RBI's, Kevin Scott had two hits and two RBI's, Rob Brusca had two hits and
two huge insurance RBI's in the seventh, while Delgado and Kyle DeMeo also chipped in with singles.
On the hill, John Molloy went five solid
innings allowing just one run while striking out seven. Mike Keen, Ron Licciardi, and Luke Zahradka combined to finally
quiet the Pirate bats as they helped preserve Molloy's seventh win of the year.
The Hawks return home Tuesday May 26th
to take on Mepham in the series finale with the winner moving on to the County Semi-finals. Game time is 4:45PM.
Pirates Seize Ship
Nine Runs, nine walks
earned, six hits, two separate five run leads, including a 9-4 lead in the last inning, should have been enough
to get the Hawks a 'W' in the opening game of the Nassau County AA Quarterfinals.
Instead, their vaunted pitching
staff, as well as their consistently solid defense betrayed them when they were needed most as the Hawks coughed up a sure
victory in a 10-9 extra inning loss to the Mepham Pirates to put their backs against the wall as they now face 2009 extinction
if they can't get two straight wins to extend their season.
Simply put nine walks and five errors
doesn't win playoff games it starts the travel ball season faster. So now it is up the Hawks to believe that they can
still do this starting tomorrow as there is no time to ponder there is only time to bounce back.
Colts Boot Hawks 7-2
The Hawks wrapped
up their regular season with a 7-2 clunker against Calhoun as they have now lost four out of five to limp into the playoffs.
Compounding matters was the loss of Third Baseman Al Gentile to emergency appendectomy. Hopefully with a little luck,
Gentile can make a Willis Reed like return to the diamond as the Hawks could certainly use his big bat in the lineup.
Fortunately for the Hawks the new second
season has finally arrived as the 2009 playoffs begin on Wednesday May 20th with the Hawks seeded fourth with a bye and home
field advantage as they open with a Quarterfinal matchup against a yet to be determined opponent.
Split Decision For Seahawks
On a day they clinched the
ever important playoff bye round seed the Hawks also stumbled in their pursuit of defending their 2008 Conference AA-II title
after jolting the Jets of East Meadow 10-1 in the morning before being bear hugged by the Baldwin Bruins 6-2 in
the afternoon.
The Seahawks wrap up their regular season
on Thursday at Calhoun in what will be the last tune up game before the playoffs begin at home on Wednesday May 20th.
The Hawks current situation rests as follows: East Meadow holds a one game edge and the tiebreaker while Calhoun sits
just one game behind the Hawks in the loss column. However, since these two teams play this week in a three game series
the Hawks are assured of at least a second place finish and a #4 seed in the Nassau County AA playoffs.
If Calhoun loses one game the Hawks
get second place. If East Meadow loses two games the Hawks must win on Thursday to clinch first place and defend their
title. If Calhoun sweeps East Meadow and the Hawks defeat Calhoun on Thursday they will also grab first place.
That is also assuming Calhoun will win their other make up game on Friday. Got it?
If the Hawks can get lucky and rise to
the top then they will be seeded as #2 in the Nassau County playoffs starting on May 20th. Regardless they will not
be #1 or #3 under any circumstances.
So the goal for the Hawks, who sit out
this week's AA-II action is to rest up arms and begin getting ready both physically and mentally for the road ahead.
And after dropping three of four in what was a very challenging week the Hawks will hit the skills and drills circuit at practice
this week.
As for the never ending Saturday games,
John Molloy earned his team leading sixth win to salvage the last game of the East Meadow series. Molloy's four hit.
no earned runs, one walk, and six K's gem gave the Hawks the boost they needed after dropping two close ones on Wednesday
and Friday.
Offensively the Hawks seized control
right away when they took advantage of a crucial Jets error to put a commanding five spot on the board after half an inning
of play. The Hawks would tack on three more in the third and two more in the fifth to comfortably cruise to the finish
line.
John Molloy and Kevin Scott each had
two hits and an RBI to lead the way while Tom Rydzewski, Al Gentile, Rob Brusca, Mike Marino and Tommy Torregrossa all chipped
in with one RBI apiece as well.
After a brief detour at Checkers, which
as good as it was, it was still no match for last year's visit to Nathan's at Coney Island, the Hawks travelling circus
headed to Baldwin.
Once outfielder Kevin Scott was certified
as a lifeguard in case he fell into the left field lake the game began. For the Hawks, the game and the energy
level plummeted fast and hard after giving up six runs on five hits in the first two innings as the normally steady Hawks
pitching couldn't hang on early.
There was however a silver lining for
the Hawks hurlers as rookie Ron Licciardi went five and a third innings in relief allowing just three hits and a single earned
run while mowing down 14 consecutive batters in row from the second to sixth innings.
Unfortunately with the Hawks' bats still
at the 'check'out line at Checkers the offense simply withered away as just Tom Rydzewski, Kyle DeMeo and Rob Brusca stroked
hits in what was an exhausting and extremely frustrating nightcap to a busy day of baseball.
The Hawks head back to the practice field
on Monday NOT Tuesday as planned since next Sunday's planned practice won't be conducive to the Hawks
playoff preparation. All players should be on the field ASAP as the Junior High will be getting the field at 3:45PM.
Jets Soar Past Seahawks
Baseball Fundamentals 101
paid another visit as the East Meadow Jets dropped the Seahawks again this time 6-3 to guarantee a first series loss of the
year for the Hawks. It also dropped the Hawks a game, two in actuality, out of the Conference AA-II top spot with just
three games remaining.
Throwing strikes, playing smart defense,
keeping runners from taking extra bases via the stolen base or passed ball, successful suicide squeezes from anywhere in the
order, two out hits, working two strike foul balls, in game batting adjustments, and not to mention overall determination
and enthusiasm are items not always found in the boxscore but they are found on championship teams which is what the Jets
exhibited for the Hawks in all its grandeur.
That small ball mentality allowed the
Jets to stake a 4-0 on an off-balanced 300 Foot Home Run, two squeezes and a two out single by the number eight hitter.
For the second straight game the Hawks
bats lay dormant until the sixth when Al Gentile doubled home both Tommy Torregrossa and Mike Marino to cut the lead in half
at 4-2. Unfortunately, Gentile remained stranded and then the Jets tacked on two insurance runs to negate red hot Rob
Brusca's Home Run and Joe Gregorio's two strike double as the top of the order fizzled going 1-9 on the day.
The Hawks next embark on a rare split
destination doubleheader as they head to East Meadow at 10:30AM before detouring to Baldwin at 2:00PM for the second of two
as the Hawks look to right the ship.
Jets Edge Hawks 4-3
After a brief respite from
Mother Nature, the Hawks finally got back to baseball as they travelled to East Meadow for the first of three in yet another
first place showdown.
Strugling early with the sticks the Hawks
left seven runners stranded in four of the first five innings as the elusive 'timely' hit kept coming up short. Conversely,
the Jets raced out to a 4-0 lead after a two run triple, a run scoring groundout and a wild pitch put them in the driver's
seat and the Hawks in a hole.
The stagnant offense finally broke free
in the sixth when Rob Brusca followed up singles by Al Gentile and Tom Rydzewski with a two run double. John Daddino
reached on an error as did Kevin Scott to score Brusca. Unfortunately, the inning, as well as the game as it would turn
out basically ended there when Kyle DeMeo was barely thrown out to end the sixth and the Hawks went down in order in the seventh.
Hopefully the rains will continue to
hold off as the Hawks head to East Meadow on Thursday as they look for the evener.
Seahawks Sweep Pirates
Playing with a grit and
determination not often seen during a usual Carey-Mepham series, the Hawks parlayed one of their most successful series sweeps
in recent memory into an outright drubbing as they dropped the Pirates again 12-5 making it three straight and out-scoring
them by a whopping 35-7 margin.
With the three game sweep the first place
10-2-1 Hawks now sit in the catbird seat with a one game lead with five to play as they continue to jockey for playoff
position. The Hawks battle to keep at least a first place or second place finish which would garner them the ever-important
Bye Round now has them three ahead of the third place Pirates in the loss column.
As for the series finale, John Molloy
got his turn to earn his fifth victory of the year which he did old style as he pitched a rare complete game 11 hitter as
he whiffed 10 going the distance on 103 pitches to tie Luke Zahradka for the team lead in victories.
At the plate most of the magic was done
in the ten-spot fifth inning when the Hawks sent 15 batters to the plate highlighted by Kyle Demeo's two hits and two RBI's,
John Molloy's two hits and one RBI, Tom Rydewski, Joe Marino and Evan Delgado's consecutive base knocks and lastly Mike Marino's
three run moonshot that brought the lead to 12-1. All told the Hawks smacked 13 hits as they collectively found their
groove against the beleagured Pirates pitching staff.
The Hawks road show continues (Weather
Permitting As Usual) as the Hawks wrap up their Baldwin set tomorrow at 4:30PM.
Seahawks Sink Pirates
For the
second straight game the Hawks got solid pitching, timely hitting, including some well timed 'yard work', and some occasional
good defense as they peppered the Mepham Pirates 8-2 to help capture their fourth series win of the season.
Offensively, Kyle DeMeo got things
started with a bang as he smashed a leadoff Home Run to stake the Hawks to an early 1-0 lead but more importantly it put the
Pirates back on their heels again. After a Mike Marino walk, Al Gentile reached on an outfield error which brought hot
hitting John Molloy to the plate, after working the count brilliantly as well as fouling off several 3-2 pitches Molloy finally
found one he liked and promptly crushed it over the leftfield fence for a commanding 4-0 lead.
Two innings later DeMeo would add two more
RBI's to his stat total as he stroked a bases loaded double. In the sixth Molloy chopped home his fourth RBI of the
game to put the Hawks up for good at 8-2. All told the DeMeo-Molloy combo would contribute all 7 earned RBI's.
On the hill Luke Zahradka notched his
team leading fifth win of the year as he scuffled all day to keep runners in check after the Hawks defense had some breakdowns
as they committed six errors two of which led to the only runs of the game for the Pirates.
The Hawks rest on Wednesday before heading
to Mepham as they go for the sweep on Thursday.
Seahawks Pillage Pirates
In just his fourth career
Varsity start Sophomore John Daddino got his first no-hitter as went the distance striking out 13 to lead the Seahawks
in a surprising 15-0 whitewash of Mepham.
After several weeks of struggling
at the plate the Hawks exploded for 15 runs on 14 hits led by the long ball of Mike Marino, whose 390 foot drive over the
rightfield bleachers landed on the football field, and the 'other rookie' Kyle Demeo who posted a near cycle as he went 4
for 5 with two singles, a double, a triple and 5 RBI's.
Also joining the hit parade was Tommy
Torregrossa, Al Gentile, John Molloy, Tom Rydzewski, and Rob Brusca who all had at least one hit and one RBI. Kevin
Scott and Joe Gregorio also contributed a double and a single.
The 7-run fifth inning was the biggest
run scoring frame of the year for the Hawks and it was more than enough for the determined Daddino who was razor sharp with
all of his pitches.
The first place Seahawks return home
on Tuesday as the Pirates look to exact some revenge on the Hawks for their opening game loss.
Hawks Cut Down Bruins
Kevin Scott's perfect relay
throw to third baseman Al Gentile in the top of the seventh allowed Gentile to spin and throw to Tom Rydzewski at second base
ending the Baldwin rally and preserving the Hawks third straight win 3-2.
The play capped off a strong inning
that began in the bottom of the sixth when Evan Delgado's perfect sacrifice bunt allowed Gentile to then knock in both Scott
and Kyle DeMeo with a two-run single to bump the lead to 3-0.
It exemplified the fundamental way to
play baseball and it will only strengthen the Seahawks resolve come playoff time. Those fundamentals also stay
sharp in the field as the Hawks played errorless baseball after Thursday's eight error meltdown. Those lack of errors
were all John Molloy needed as he matched Luke Zahradka with his fourth victory of the season. His complete game on
92 pitches saw him allow just four hits, two walks, two earned runs, while fanning nine.
With the win the Hawks sit just one game
out of first as they head to Mepham for a AA-II Conference showdown starting at Mepham on Monday with Newsday on hand.
It should provide the kind of excitement that makes a team elevate their game. The Hawks hope to be that team.
Scrappy Hawks Shake Bruins
Like a piece of gum stuck
on the bottom of your shoe on a hot summer day, the Seahawks just wouldn't go away as they scratched and clawed through nine
sloppy and, at times brilliant, innings in a 4-3 come from behind win over the Baldwin Bruins in the first of yet another
interrupted three game series.
Mike Marino's bases loaded sacrifice
fly in the bottom half of the ninth plated Kevin Scott, (2 for 4, double and RBI) who had reached on an error and
moved to second on Kyle DeMeo's ground rule double, to win it for the Hawks who battled back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits.
Luke Zahradka got his team leading fourth
win as he bullied his way through 101 pitches striking out nine and walking none while allowing just one earned run.
Defensively it was all or nothing as
the Hawks found the right magic in the field at just the right time to help offset a brutal eight error performance. Diving,
barehanded and shoot downs at the plate by Tom Rydzewski, Kyle DeMeo and Joe Gregorio along with John Molloy respectively
neutralized two Bruin rallies to keep the Hawks within striking distance.
John Molloy doubled home the first run
while Kevin Scott and Tom Rydzewski knocked in the next two before Marino's ninth inning heroics.
Kudos to all the Hawks as they hung tough
as a team and with the win moved themselves into sole possession of second place in the AA-II dogfight.
The Hawks return home on Saturday 12PM
for game two of the Baldwin series.
Seahawks Split Deuce
Playing a rare doubleheader, the Seahawks
got a peek at both sides of the coin as they were routed in the opener 11-1 before bouncing back in the nightcap 10-6 to split
their first two series contests vs the Calhoun Colts.
The morning affair got away from the
Hawks but fast as they allowed 12 hits and 10 walks while watching the Colts race to an early 7-1 lead after two innings.
A bright spot for the Hawks was the four solid innings thrown by Evan Delgado who, in his first Varsity appearance, allowed
just two hits, one run and at one point retired nine straight batters.
Kyle DeMeo, Tommy Torregrossa and
John Molloy supplied the only offense as the Hawks were stymied for six straight innings after scratching one across in the
first.
In the second game, John Molloy wrested
control right from the get-go as he induced two forceouts along with a pickoff to cancel a potential first inning rally.
Settling in, the Hawks offense pulled ahead with a two-spot as Kyle DeMeo's leadoff double was followed up by RBI singles
from both Mike Marino and Tom Rydzewski.
John Molloy moved the lead to 3-0 after
hitting his second of three doubles on the day in the fifth. He later scored on a two out throwing error to push the
score to 4-0. In the fifth the Hawks had their most fundamentally sound inning of the season as a successful sacrifice
bunt from Rob Brusca and a successful sacrifice fly from Joe Gregorio led to three more runs to push the lead to 7-1.
Calhoun long ball cut that lead to 7-3
before the Hawk bats tacked on three more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Two walks were cashed in when Molloy
singled home Mike Marino before Brusca crushed one off the left field fence just inches shy of a three run blast.
And as it sometimes happens, the runs
were extremely important when the Colts hit another tater to cut the lead to 10-6. Not to be denied however John
"Bulldog" Molloy put an end to the nonsense and he calmly retired the last hitters to give himself a self-proclaimed "ugly
win" which was undoubtedly a lot better than past Monday's "pretty loss" to Bellmore.
The Hawks now rest for two days before
welcoming the Baldwin Bruins Monday at Carey in the first of four straight games as the Calhoun finale will be squeezed
in on Wednesday.
Hawks Edge JFK 3-1
Sticking with their 2009 theme of solid
pitching, good defense and timely hitting, the Hawks won their second consecutive series with a 3-1 win over Bellmore JFK
in the rubber match.
Luke Zahradka reclaimed his role as top
dog on the Bellmore field hill as he went the distance striking out 12 while allowing just one run on five hits. His
stab of a hard hit grounder in the fifth also stemmed a potential game tying single. Additionally, he also picked off
the first baserunner of the game to squash any early rally attempts.
Joe Gregorio powered the offense as he
went 2 for 3 with a double off the left field fence and his first career Home Run over the centerfield fence for two of the
Hawks three RBI's. Al Gentile also put up a 2 for 3 day with an RBI single in the sixth with two outs to score Mike
Marino to make it 3-0 at the time.
The beat goes on tomorrow as the Hawks
return home for their first doubleheader in nearly a decade as they welcome the Calhoun Colts in the first two of several
make up games. Game times are 10:30AM and 1:45PM.
Hawks Clip Cougars
Bouncing back nicely from
their opening game loss the Hawks evened their series with Bellmore at one apiece after dropping them 5-1 in their only home
game of the three game set.
Luke Zahradka, for the second straight
game entered in the seventh inning, this time around however the results were dramatically different as he struck out the
side after the Cougars loaded the bases with no outs. Zahradaka's relief earned him his first save as well as the team's
first save of the season. It also made John Daddino a winner after he pitched 5 2/3 innings allowing just two hits,
one run, two walks while fanning nine batters.
At the plate, Tom Rydzewski, Tommy Torregrossa
and Al Gentile all went 1 for 3 with a run scored. Gentile's two run single in the first gave the Seahawks an early 3-0 lead
that they never relinquished. The Hawks also stole six bases led by Mike Marino who swiped two while scoring the ever
important 'insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Hawks the final lead of 5-1.
The Hawks now head to Calhoun for the
first of three make-up games before finishing the Bellmore series on Thursday.
Late Rally Stuns Seahawks
Heading
to the seventh Seahawks starting pitcher John Molloy was on cruise control as he allowed only three singles while striking
out five. Six batters later however ecstasy turned to agony as a seeing-eye double, an error, a passed ball, two walks and
a 12 pitch at-bat punched the Hawks in the gut as they headed home a loser after dropping their first of the season 2-1 to
the Bellmore JFK Cougars in the opening game of the three game set.
Sometimes the numbers don't lie as the
Hawks batted a miserable 1-11, .091 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10 baserunners. They failed to
execute three bunts. They were picked off second base as well as third base. Despite walking nine times they were
only able to convert that into one run. They comitted four errors, one of which became the game winning run. They
struck out six times and only hit one ball to the outfield all game long. Simply put the Hawks let this one slip away.
Fortunately, baseball is a resiliency
sport and the Hawks will have to have a short memory as they head back home on Tuesday to welcome Bellmore in their only apperance
at Carey of the season. Game time is 10:30AM for all the games this week.
Seahawks 'Lose' 5-5
When a
baseball program commits itself to excellence, relinquinshing a four run lead late in the game becomes an unacceptable occurence.
Such was the case however for the Seahawks in the Herricks finale when they were unable to hold off a late four run rally
that left them with a rare tie 5-5 after the game was called due to darkness.
Wasted in the setback was another solid
starting pitching performance for the Hawks as John Daddino went five innings, striking out 10, walking four and allowing
only a leadoff double before being shut down at 80 pitches.
At the dish, Tommy Torregrossa (3 for
4, 4 RBI's) and Tom Rydzewksi (2 for 3, 1 RBI) combined for five of the Seahawks eight hits as the Hawks were unable
to convert on a late squeeze attempt as well as stranding nine runners including three in the bottom of the seventh.
Disappointing as it was, the Hawks will
now move ahead as good teams do and set their sites on a big Calhoun matchup starting at home next Monday.
Hawks Blank Herricks 1-0
Rob Brusca's fifth inning
groundout RBI was all the offense needed as Luke Zahradka was masterful pitching a complete game one-hitter to lead the Seahawks
over the Highlanders in the second game of their three game set.
For the second time in a week a Hawks
pitcher almost pitched another no-no, only a bad luck hop over third baseman Al Gentile's head with one out in the seventh
kept Zahradka from joining John Molloy in the no-hitters club.
Fortunately, Zahradka, showing the poise
that has made him a three sport All-County and All-Conference athlete, collected himself and sealed the deal with the tying
and go-ahead runners on second and third respectively. His final numbers were nine strikeouts and four walks allowed.
Adding to the defensive theme were Kyle
Demeo who had four assists and two putouts and Brusca who gunned down two potential base thiefs early in the game to stem
any rally attempts by the Highlanders.
On offense only Gentile (a double), John
Molloy and Mike Marino connected on hits for the Hawks. Marino's single in the fifth which caromed off the face of the
Herricks second baseman started the rally. Marino then stole second base before Tom Rydzewski sacrificed him over to
third, Molloy reached on an E6 and then Brusca's hard hit ball to second became a groundout winner for the Hawks when another
tricky hop took the double play option away.
The Hawks remain home for the series
finale on Thursday. Game time is 4:45PM.
Seahawks Out-Hit Highlanders
Mike Marino's fifth inning triple with the bases loaded opened up a 6-3 lead for the Seahawks who went on to
win 14-6 in their 2009 AA-II debut.
Al Gentile, Tommy Torregrossa,
and Kyle DeMeo all had three hits apiece while Tom Rydzewski, Rob Brusca, Luke Zahradka and Kevin Scott added two each as
the Hawks pounded out 19 hits to turn a pitchers duel into a slugfest.
John Molloy earned
his second straight victory as he went six innings on just 68 pitches striking out five while allowing just three earned runs
and one walk.
The Hawks head
home for the remainder of the series as Luke Zahradka starts Wednesday followed by John Daddino on Thursday.
Seahawks Scalp Indians, Claim BWC
With the legendary Carey community icon Bob Walpole in attendance, the Seahawks crushed the overmatched Sewanhaka Indians
17-2 to gain a sweep of their district rivals and stake claim to the 8th Annual Bob Walpole Classic.
Sophomore John Daddino led
the charge on the hill as he sparkled in his first Varsity start by going five innings allowing no earned runs while striking
out eight and walking just two batters.
At the plate the Hawk
hitters continued their early season feasting as they smashed 17 hits to go with their 17 runs. Mike Marino connected
on his first hit and Homer of the season, a Grand Salami in the second to put the Hawks up for good at 5-0. Mike later
added an RBI walk to cap off his and John Daddino's Co-MVP performance.
Al Gentile notched his own
3 for 3 day, Kevin Scott and Tom Rydewski chipped in with two hits apiece, and Kyle DeMeo, Joe Gregorio, Ivan Mendoza,
John Molloy, Joe Marino and Mike Keen all contributed one hit base-knocks to round out the stat-sheet.
Despite it being early in
the season the Seahawk sluggers have found a good groove as they have now rung up a walloping 44 runs in their first three
games. Hopefully, those big bops can make the move to next week as they leave Non-League play for the year and head
over to Conference AA-II play next week starting with their first three game set of the year vs Herricks next Tuesday.
Seahawks Sprint Past Knights
The Seahawks continued their feel good start to the season with their second consecutive big win as they downed
the Knights of Floral Park 9-1 in a rain shortened affair.
Luke Zahradka went five to earn
the victory as he struck out ten while only walking two.
Joe Gregorio and Rob Brusca again
led the charge on offense as they both went 2 for 2. Gregorio also had three RBI's while the fleet-footed Brusca swiped
a career high four bases. On the day the run and gun Hawks totaled 11 swipes to give themselves scoring opportunities
in every inning. Kevin Scott, Gregorio, and Tommy Torregrossa all had two while Kyle DeMeo added the last one.
Scott, Torregrossa, John Molloy and Tom
Rydzewski, in his first Varsity start, all had one hit apiece as the Hawks have now bopped in 27 runs in their first two games.
The Hawks complete their 2009 Non-League
schedule tomorrow when they welcome Sewanhaka in the annual Bob Walpole Classic. Game Time is 4:15PM
Hawks Slay Spartans Behind Molloy
No-No
The Seahawks broke the seal on the 2009 campaign in grand fashion as Senior Southpaw John Molloy tossed his first career
no-hitter to lead the Hawks to an 18-0 whitewash of the Elmont Spartans.
Molloy tossed just 74 pitches
striking out 11, walking just one while allowing just one soft flyball to shallow rightfield for the only ball to leave the
infield.
Offensively, the Hawks raced
out of the gate scoring 10 in the opening frame. Every starter reached base safely in the inning to pace the onslaught.
Leading the way were Rob
Brusca, who went 3 for 5 with two doubles and four RBI's and Joe Gregorio, who went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBI's.
Alphonse Gentile, Tommy (Happy Birthday!) Torregrossa, and Luke Zahradka all added two hits while Kyle DeMeo, John Molloy
and Kevin Scott all had one hit to round the tally at 15 hits. For DeMeo and Scott it was their first Varsity hits.
Congratulations!
