Heartbreak For Hawks
After four months of off-season preparation and three more months of in-season preparation and hard work, the 2008 Carey Seahawks
Varsity Baseball season came to a devastating and painful end at the hands of the Bellmore JFK Cougars 9-7 in the opening
round of the AA playoffs.
The loss was made even more painful for the fact
that the Seahawks committed an ungodly nine errors producing seven unearned runs to spoil any chance of continuing their
County Championship dream which in an instant became a nightmare.
The Hawks defense opened the game with an error
and was later saved from further damage by two great plays at first base by Jamie "Bear Exhibit" Spanopoulos or the Hawks
would have achieved the rarest of feats by committing an error in every inning.
Quite simply, teams that don't get it done through
pitching and defense do not win, or deserve championships at any level, in any sport, in this instance the 2008 AA-II Champs
didn't execute and it cost them their season.
Things started off well enough with some aggressive
baserunning and opportunistic play as the Hawks scratched out runs in the first, third and fourth to stake themselves to a
7-2 lead. Tommy "Water Cooler" Torregrossa and Sal "League MVP" Intagliata each chipped in with two hits apiece to lead
the run and fun offense to put the Hawks firmly in the drivers seat.
Unfortunately, the Plainedge Ghosts of 2007 found
their way to Carey Field in the fifth as four heinous errors on routine plays allowed the Cougars to tie the game and put
a complete stranglehold on the momentum. Then when the big offense of the Hawks fizzled in the fifth and sixth the Cougars
struck for the final time scoring on seeing eye single and a squeeze play bunt to grab the lead for the first time at 9-7.
Going into the bottom half of the seventh the
Carey cardiac kids finally went to the well once too often as the Plainview magic and the Bishop Ford magic that rallied them
previously died in deep left field with the tying run on second base.
It will be, for the time being, a tough pill
to swallow for the players, the coaches, the family and friends who supported Carey baseball all year but in the long run
the Hawks will look back proudly and fondly at their magnificent achievements and there are many.
Whether the Hawks won or lost this season, the
kindness and caring they brought to the Gottlieb Family is a memory know one can forget, and that kind of caring goes way
beyond the ballfield.
The conduct of these fine men on and off the
ballfield made their parents, teachers and coaches proud and that makes them all winners.
Sometimes, and maybe this was one of those times, tough
losses only happen to people who can handle it because they always have their eyes on the big picture which the 2008
Hawks did.
In closing, Coach Hedquist and Coach Farina would
like to thank the entire Hawks Team, especially the Seniors who made getting to the field something to look forward to everyday.
Best of Luck to Sal Intagliata, Joe Carr, Anthony Marino, Jamie Spanopoulos, Gianni Masci, Chris Vella, Brian Hardman, Dan
Babich, Tyler Cuoco, Alex Bizelia and lastly John Punis whose unselfishness made us all better people. We would
also like to thank all of the parents who attended all of the games for allowing us to work with your kids. Your years
of coaching and helping out in the Little Leagues made our job easy and extremely enjoyable.
Lastly, we want the 2008 Hawks to remember their
time together and look back proudly as they will forever call themselves 2008 Conference AA-II Champions.
Conference Champs!
Average
No More! As the Seahawks clinched their first Conference Title since 1989 after dispatching the Syosset Braves 11-4 in the
regular season finale.
Gianni "Ejection" Masci punctuated his All County
selection by blasting a sixth inning Grand Slam that helped put the finishing touches on a spectacular regular season.
For Masci, the Home Run tied in neatly with his single and double as he posted a career day with 7 RBI's.
Sal "League MVP" Intagliata notched three more
hits to raise his average to .500. Fellow All County selection Jamie"Batting Practice Pitcher" Spanopoulos doubled again
to tie T.J. Humrich on the All-Time Doubles list at 11. Joe "Matchbox" Carr, Tommy "Intensity" Torregrossa, Brian "Bobbles"
Hardman, Alphonse "The Rookie" Gentile, John "Hold Him On" Molloy and lastly Chris "The Hammer Fist" Vella all added base
hits to round out the attack.
For Vella his double which broke open the six
run sixth closed out an amazing inning as he masterfully worked out of a bases loaded jam in relief of Carr to post his first
save. Carr left Vella with the bases loaded only to joyfully watch as he then induced a sacrifice fly and a double play
ball to neutralize the threat.
The Seahawks will now host the Bellmore JFK Cougars
in the opening round of the playoffs this Saturday at 12PM
Hawks Blank Generals
What a difference a day makes as the Seahawks
finally got off the schneid gaining their first Conference AA-I win of the season with a 5-0 shutout over the MacArthur Generals.
Led by the solid pitching of Anthony "Cell Phone"
Marino, who posted his second shutout of the season, the Hawks defense tightened when it had to as the Generals stranded 10
runners and were never able to get the clutch hit they needed.
The Seahawks on the other hand scratched out runs in
the first, fifth and sixth innings as they spread out 10 hits to maximize their every scoring chance. Sal "Can Of Corn"
Intagliata paved the way as he went 3 for 4 with three RBI's and one run scored with the scoring run coming on a dazzling
display of speed and smarts as he came all the way around from second on an infield groundout by Jamie "Don't Distract me"
Spanopoulos. Joe "The Ball Flipper" Carr, Gianni "No At Bat for you in the 6th" Masci and Alphonse "7/11" Gentile each
added two hits apiece to pace the offense.
The Hawks complete their regular season tomorrow
at home against Syosset with first place, and their playoff seeding still undecided after Calhoun knocked off East Meadow
to send both teams into the finale at 11-5.
The Hawks will either finish 6th or 7th in the
rankings and will open at home on Saturday in the playoffs against either Bellmore JFK or Oceanside in the single elimination
round. Game time for Saturday is still not yet determined.
Jets Jettison Seahawks
Good pitching shuts down
good hitting, good defense carries good pitching, smart baseball wins out over ill-advised (a.k.a. stupid) baseball decisions,
and last but not least, individual play nets $8 trophies while team play, focus, enthusiasm, mental toughness and determination
yield championships and lifelong memories.
All of these traits can regularly be found in
Conference AA-I where perennial powerhouses Massapequa, East Meadow, and MacArthur reside.
On this day the Seahawks wasted a chance to become
a member of this exclusive club as they dropped their third straight AA-I crossover to the East Meadow Jets 6-1.
John Molloy, on limited duty, threw three solid
innings allowing two unearned runs before yielding to Luke Zahradka who ran into some trouble in the sixth but still put up
some solid numbers to keep the Hawks close.
Unfortunately, the Hawks bats' lay dormant as
they were completely silenced by East Meadow ace Jason Lembo who struck out 12 while allowing just three hits.
Adding to the fun of the day, the Calhoun Colts
routed the Syosset Braves to again pull even with the Hawks in AA-II. The Seahawks' magic number remains at two as they
still hold the tiebreaker edge.
The Hawks head home for the next two crossovers
as they host MacArthur on Wednesday and Syosset on Thursday. Game time for both is 4:30PM.
Seahawks Sweep Sailors
After
a one day respite, the Seahawks offensive juggernaut returned with a vengeance as they tallied up 14 hits including seven
extra base hits in a 12-7 win over Oceanside that gave them a series sweep.
Of the seven extra base hits the Hawks notched
a school record four triples, three of which came in a four run sixth that increased the lead to 12-2. Joining the triples
club were Sal "I Have No Interest In Routine Plays" Intagliata, Gianni "Coach That Wasn't a Strike" Masci, John "Wounded Wing"
Punis and Chris "I Got Jokes" Vella.
If not for the missing outfield fence there actually
might have been more damage done at the plate. In fact if this game were at Carey's Arena Baseball Field, the Hawks
might have had close to 8-9 Home Runs. So it made for some exciting action at the plate.
Lost in the hubaloo was Craig "Harpo Marx" Brosnan's
first Varsity Win as he went five strong innings before yielding some tack on runs in the sixth and seventh. Staying
well below his pitch count limit, Brosnan picked up his staff by going the distance as the Hawks had a starter go the full
seven for the sixth straight game.
Defensively, Tommy "Bring Home the Cooler" Torregrossa
made several webgems as did Intagliata in Centerfield to keep the lead intact early on.
Weather permitting, the Hawks grind out another
game tomorrow at home in the annual Bob Walpole Classic. Game time is set for 4:00PM with a Saturday morning rain date
of 9:00AM.
Catbird Seat For Seahawks
On
a day where the offense finally took a day off the Seahawks mustered enough at the dish to stave off the Calhoun Colts 4-0
to give them sole possession of first place in Conference AA-II.
John "Stamina" Molloy pitched his second consecutive
four hit shutout over Calhoun to raise his record to 6-1 on the season. In addition to raising his scoreless streak
to 14 innings, Molloy struck out a career high 11 batters to go against just one walk as he was full control of his complete
pitching arsenal.
For the Hawks a few early baserunning led to
some opportune breaks as well starting with Sal "You're Not That Fast!"" Intagliata's RBI single in the fourth which
plated Tommy "Off He Goes" Torregrossa who hustled to second and third after back to back wild pitches.
In the sixth Intagliata scored on a Jamie
"Can I Pitch Again?" Spanopoulos groundout after he reached third on an errant first base pickoff attempt to make it 2-0.
Gianni "Airport Luggage" Masci then walked and scored on a John "The Quiet Guy" Punis single to make it 3-0 which was
then followed by two more wild pitches and a fourth run by Dan "Rubber Room" Babich who also singled.
From there it was all Molloy as he notched his
sixth consecutive win allowing Carey to visit a Conference/League Penthouse for the first time this late in the season since
the late 1980's. With four tough games regular season left it is a view that the Hawks will fight hard to keep as they
complete their series finale tomorrow at Oceanside. Game time is 4:30PM.
Seahawks Slam Sailors
John
"The Natural" Punis' second inning Grand Slam gave the Hawks a 4-0 lead that they never relinquished as they toppled the Sailors
of Oceanside 10-3 in game two of the three game series.
Joe "Contact Lenses" Carr went the distance for
the Hawks who have now had three straight complete games. He allowed three earned runs with six strikeouts and seven
hits. He was also 1 for 3 at the plate with a triple. Jamie "No More Shakeoffs" Spanopoulos added another double
to go along with two walks and two runs scored. Gianni "Aiello, You're Car is Ready" Masci singled two more times including
one that started the second inning rally and Dan "Face Plant" Babich singled and scored twice including one dazzling headfirst
tumbler in the fourth to round out the fun at the plate.
In the field Gianni Masci made a Willie Mays
grab on a foul line popup, Tommy "Nissan" Torregrossa Ozzie Smithed a grounder in the seventh which was then followed
up by Tyler "Does Anyone Know What He Is Saying" Cuoco to lead a sparkling defensive effort. Kudos also go out to Sal
"The AP Review Kid" Intagliata who played his finest game of the year in Centerfield and Chris "Gold Glove" Vella who has
become one of the best outfielders in the County.
The hot Hawks now take a break from Oceanside
as they resume the Calhoun series in a game that could, and probably will, decide the AA-II Conference Championship.
Seahawks Sink Sailors
Bookending
five runs in the first and four more in the sixth, the Seahawks cruised to a 9-1 series opening decision over the
Oceanside Sailors in the final AA-II set of the season.
Luke "Squats" Zahradka excelled in his
first career start going the full seven, scattering seven hits with no earned runs while striking out and walking five to
raise his overall record to 2-0-1.
Gianni "Weight Room" Masci returned to pre-injury
form as he was perfect on the afternoon going 4 for 4 with two RBI's and two doubles with both of them rubberbanding off the
left field fence missing out on the long ball by mere inches.
Jamie "The Human Rain Delay" Spanopoulos continued
his torrid pace as he banged out two more hits to raise his average to .480. Sal "Tokyo Drift" Intagliata as tagged
by Tyler "E-Y-E-S!" Cuoco also posted a 2 for 4 day completing the 3-4-5 batters day at 8 for 12.
The win moved the Hawks to within one game of
the idle Calhoun Colts who sit again tomorrow as the Hawks take the road for the first of three in row starting with Oceanside
on Tuesday.
Seahawks Corral Colts
After spending four hours raking and spreading Diamond Dry to get the field playable, the Seahawks had no intention of letting
someone else enjoy the fun as they evened their series with the Calhoun Colts 1-1 with an 8-0 whitewash behind the southpaw
gunslinging arm of John "Bell Bottoms" Molloy.
Molloy went the distance to earn his team leading
fourth victory of the season. He struck out seven, walked one and earned his first career shutout.
The Hawks also tightened up the reins in the
field as Tommy "Hot Wheels" Torregrossa, Gianni "Neck Pain" Masci and Jamie "Hold 'Em On" Spanopoulos all pitched in with
some spectacular play in the field.
Torregrossa also starred at the plate as he and
Sal "New Bat" Intagliata both served up a 2 for 4 day to pace the Hawks well balanced attack as they scored in the first,
fourth and fifth innings to help blank the Colts. Chris "The Fist" Vella, Brian "The White Gates Carrier" Hardman and
John "The Professor" Punis all chipped in singles.
The Hawks complete their Calhoun trifecta
next Wednesday but not before facing the Oceanside Sailors on Monday and Tuesday in their final AA-II series.
Please check the schedule as it has been updated
in order to keep up with all the changes due to the rainouts this past week.
Colts Clip Hawks 8-5
After
a wet weathered four day layoff, the Seahawks were finally able to get to their anticipated matchup with the first place Calhoun
Colts. Unfortunately for the Hawks the seven game win streak and cool confidence that they had established the last
two weeks quickly fizzled in the opener as the Hawks dropped an 8-5 decision.
With the exception of a gutsy last inning flurry,
it wasn't even that close as the Hawks just never seemed to get it out of neutral. They committed five costly errors,
bringing back nightmarish flashbacks to last year's Plainedge playoff game. They left a whopping 10 runners on base.
They were completely neutralized on the basepaths by the excellent arm of the Calhoun catcher negating any efforts to 'steal'
runs. And last and most disappointingly, they didn't bring the type of intensity needed to be successful in a heavyweight
type bout that AA-II usually brings out in a team.
On the hill, Anthony Marino pitched well allowing
just three earned runs to go along with eight strikeouts. He grinded and battled through all seven innings only to be
let down by some inopportune errors that Calhoun capitalized on every time.
At the plate, the Hawks four run seventh gave
them a chance to rally again late but this time it was all about going to the well 'one time to often' as the Hawks fell short
with the tying runner at bat twice before it ended.
There were some positives as team leaders Joe
Carr and Jamie Spanopoulos each had two hits apiece to stay hot while John Punis tacked on three more hits to bump his average
well into the .400's.
After a day off the two teams will meet again
at Carey on Friday before tangling next Wednesday as the battle for the AA-II title hopes continues.
Hawks Sweep Dalers
One day
after the Keyspan Park thriller, the Seahawks returned to Nassau's AA-II dogfight in their season finale against
the Farmingdale Dalers with aluminum bats in tow. And the sound of clang never sounded so good as the Hawks blasted
a season high 22 hits in a 19-6 rout.
Jamie "The Maritime Mauler" Spanopoulos led the
Hawk attack with a 4 for 4 performance that included a three run Home Run, five RBI's and four runs scored. Alphonse
"The Gentleman" Gentile soared in his first Varsity start in place of the still injured Gianni "47 Runs Without You!" Masci
by going 4 for 5 with a Home Run, a double and three RBI's. Brian "Bonds is Unemployed!" Hardman placed three singles
to go along with two runs scored. Tommy "The Vulture" Torregrossa scored three times to go along with two more singles.
Chris "Hamburger Helper Hands" Vella chipped in with two singles while Rob "Let's Go Rangers!" Brusca and Luke "I'm Warm Coach"
Zahradka both landed in the hit column for the first time this season. And last but not least Dan "Boulder Creek"
Babich concluded his monster week by adding three more singles to finish his Farmingdale week with an impressive 6 for 7 showing.
On the hill Joe "GPA and SAT Please!" Carr earned
his first win of the year by going 5+ innings while scattering seven hits to go with five strikeouts. To his credit
the keyhole-sized strike zone didn't faze Carr as he battled until he hit his pitch count limit of 90 with one out in the
sixth.
The win was the 7th straight for the high flying
Hawks who now head home for a huge showdown vs the first place Calhoun Colts who currently hold a 1.5 lead with three
games plus in the win column. Due to a Senior trip the Hawks will play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday not Thursday before
hosting Sewanhaka in the Bob Walpole Classic on Friday.
Keyspan Comeback
Maybe
it was the stunning scenery of Keyspan Park with picturesque downtown Coney Island in the background, or the vast size of
the 100 foot dugouts, or the horrifying bird sounds emanating from the third base line speakers, or the 80 degree temperature
in the roasting sun, or the thought of feasting at the Original Nathans after the game that had the Seahawks sleeping for
most of the game as they faced off against Brooklyn's own Bishop Ford High School. Whatever it was, the cardiac Carey
Kids woke just in time to pull off another comeback classic as they rallied from four down with two out in the 7th to tie
it before eventually winning 6-5 in the 8th for their sixth straight win.
Early on, a scoreless soccer game broke out as
neither team picked up a hit until the Falcons reached on two singles off of Craig "Fresh Meat" Brosnan in the bottom
half of the 4th. Both runs would eventually come around to score as would another to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead.
In the top half of the inning Sal "No Relation
to Sal's Transmissions" Intagliata hit the trifecta to literally steal the Hawks a run as he swiped second, third and finally
home on a nifty double steal to give the Seahawks the 1-0 lead.
Chris "Cheese Fries" Vella relieved Brosnan in
the fifth and stemmed the bleeding after some shoddy defense by the Hawks but not before the Ford lead had swelled to
5-1. As for Brosnan, his first start of the year yielded some solid stats as he finished with seven strikeouts, three
hits allowed and only three earned runs.
Alex "Stitch Face" Bizelia's line drive to left
off the third baseman's glove in the 6th broke up the no-no bid guaranteeing at least that the Hawks would still visit Nathans.
At the time it appeared to be the lone bright spot for the overmatched Hawks whose foray into the Wood Bat League seeemed
to be souring fast.
After getting the first out, the Seahawks finally
found a spark as Alphonse "Super Soph" Gentile connected on a line drive base hit to left for his first career Varsity hit.
A second out via a flyout to right then set the stage for The Keyspan Comeback. First Joe "Cotton Candy" Carr reached
on an error to give the Hawks first and second. Tommy "Chili Dog" Torregrossa then laced a single to right to load 'em
up before Intagliata smacked a laser off the leftfield wall to cut the lead to 5-3. Two consecutive wild pitches ensued
and suddenly it was a brand new game. Vella shut down the side in the seventh setting the stage for some extra frame
heroics.
After two strikeouts, the Hawks found themselves
in their comfortable two out state again. This time Joe Carr walked and stole second before another error by the shortstop
allowed him to come home with the go ahead run making it 6-5.
Luke "Steakhouses are better than Nathans" Zahradka
was called in to get the save for Chris Vella in the 8th. A leadoff walk was then followed by the play of the game as
Third baseman Joe Carr's diving stab and eventual forceout at second not only saved a sure double but it kept the batter out
of scoring position. Jamie" Chili and Cheese Dog, and Chili and Cheese Fries, and Onion Rings, and Bacon and Cheese
Dogs and Lemonade" Spanopoulos then quickly extinguished the Falcons last ray of hope as he shot down a stealing runner at
second base as Tommy T. applied a perfect tag. Zahradka induced the final batter into an infield popup and it was off
to the Nathans as the Seahawks stole another one.
Hawks Rout Dalers 14-5
Joe "Taco King" Carr's three run Home Run,
his county leading fourth of the year, highlighted a six run sixth inning as the Seahawks put the Farmingdale Dalers away
14-5 in the second game of their AA-II series.
John "Give Me the Ball Jamie!" Molloy won his
team leading third of the year as he went six innings allowing just two earned runs while striking out nine.
All nine starters reached base safely starting
with Sal "Hit the Weightroom" Intagliata who stayed hot at the plate as he went 4 for 5 with three doubles, two runs scored
and two more steals. Tommy "Thank Your Bench" Torregrossa added a single and an RBI, Jamie "Warning Track Power" Spanopoulos
connected for two doubles, Brian "The San Fran Seahawk" Hardman laced a single, Dan "Scooby Doo" Babich muscled three hits
including two fence doubles, John "Roy Hobbs" Punis crushed a double, while Chris "Strep Throat" Vella and John Molloy rounded
out the rest of the Seahawks 18 hit attack.
After their exciting trip to Keyspan Park vs
Bishop Ford High School on Thursday, the Seahawks go for the sweep on Friday as they travel to Farmingdale for the finale.
The (4-3) Seahawks now sit alone in second place as they continue to chase the Calhoun Colts in the AA-II dogfight.
Seahawks Shutout Dalers
As with
just about everything else in Seahawk World there are always obstacles to overcome as the AA-II opener against Farmingdale
almost never began as the bus driver took us to a local Junior High School to face the kids from "The Sandlot" but they weren't
interested and their dog chased us off. Next, upon arriving at Farmingdale, starting 3B Gianni Masci was unable to go
as a serious mishap with Irish Spring Soap negated his appearance as Mr. Frankenstein was unable to move his head.
Fortunately, the 2008 Carey Seahawks are a drama
laden team with ways of dealing with these obstacles. This time around the approach was good old fashioned fundamentals
as great pitching and defense was neatly complemented by timely hitting and good baserunning. The result was a very
satisfying 8-0 win over the Farmingdale Dalers in the first of their three game set.
Anthony "SAT" Marino was masterful
as he pitched a complete game shutout allowing just two hits with one walk and nine strikeouts to earn his first
victory of the year. He also had his first career hit but the umpires refused to give
him the baseball because he still hasn't taken the SAT's!
At the dish it was all about team play as eight
of nine starters chipped in singles and doubles to balance the attack. Tommy "2-0" Torregrossa led the way with a single
and a double and two RBI's. Sal "Good Luck Hat" Intagliata went 2 for 2 with a run scored, two RBI's and two steals.
John "Don't Call Me Leadfoot, I'm no Rookie!" Molloy added two singles while Joe "Finally an Eye Appointment" Carr, Jamie
"Picked Off" Spanopoulos, John "Hit-N-Run" Punis and Chris "I Own RF" Vella all punched out singles.
The Seahawks next host the Dalers on Tuesday
in their only Carey Arena Baseball appearance. Game time is 10AM.
Seahawks Slay Spartans
With the sting of
last year's embarrassing performance still fresh in their mind, the Seahawks paid full respect to the Elmont Spartans of 2008.
And with that, brought a business-like approach that resulted in a rock solid 10-1 thumping this time around.
Chris "Finger Lickin' Good" Vella excelled
in his first ever Varsity start as he went the distance allowing just four hits, one walk and a single earned run while striking
out seven. Only a first inning balk kept him from pitching an egg.
At the plate it was all about Joe "40/20" Carr
who notched his 3rd Home Run of the season with a second inning Grand Slam into the parking lot in centerfield to put the
Hawks up for good at 5-1. Joe "The Quiet Guy" Gregorio made the best of his first start of the year as he went 2 for
4 with a single and a double, an RBI and two runs scored. John "Speedy" Punis chipped in two singles and three runs
scored to complement the rest of the bottom part of the order as the six through nine hitters combined for five of the Hawks
nine hits.
The Seahawks return to League play on Monday
as they meet the Farmingdale Dalers in a battle of third place teams as the Hawks prep once again to hopefully move up the
AA-II ladder. All game times are 10AM this week with the exception of Thursday's 2PM Keyspan start.
Comeback Classic!
In what had to be one
of the most impressive comebacks in school history, the Seahawks stunned the Plainview-JFK Hawks 11-10 in the AA-II opening
series finale after falling behind 9-0 after just an inning an a third.
Watching helplessly the Seahawks had their ever-present
home field advantage explode in their face as both starter Jamie " Staredown" Spanopoulos and reliever "Lightning" Luke
Zahradka had five balls gently drop just beyond the rightfield porch to help Plainview fly out to a commanding lead before
the Seahawks even took the bats out of the bat rack.
It wasn't until the third inning that the Seahawks
finally thought about climbing the mountain. When they did however, it would come via the long ball as Gianni "Dips
and Dipsticks" Masci got the offense going when he connected for the first ever left field fence Home Run to cut it to 9-3.
Two more runs in the fifth after consecutive run scoring singles by Spanopoulos and Masci brought the Seahawks to within 9-5.
That was followed by the Seahawks at bat of the year in the sixth when Sal "Lucky Seat" Intagliata turned on
a 1-2 fastball driving it clear over the centerfield fence for an exhilarating Grand Slam to tie the score at 9-9.
After a diving attempt on a double by Chris "The
Fence Basher" Vella came up empty Plainview regained the lead 10-9 going into the bottom of the 7th to set the scene for a
fantastic finish.
And once again it was Gianni on the spot who
started it off as Masci worked out a walk after falling behind 1-2 to start yet another rally. Brian "Sittin' on the
Dock of the Bay" Hardman then reached on an infield single to make it first and second before John "Newsday Insider" Punis
laced a single to left to make it a one run game. John "One Inning" Molloy's walk then loaded the bases for Vella whose
scorcher to second resulted in a bang-bang forceout at the plate after two unsuccessful squeeze attempts. With the bases
still loaded Joe "Governor Paterson" Carr whose eyeballs always come into question maneuvered his way to a game ending walk-off
walk to complete the historical rally for the Seahawks.
Baseball really is a strange game as just one
week ago the Baseball Gods let the Seahawks suffer through a nine run meltdown vs Massapequa only to return the favor vs Plainview
this time around.
Of course the Seahawks did alot to help themselves,
starting with Zahradka's spectacular relief effort. His gritty first Varsity win saw him keep the Seahawks within reach
for 6.3 innings where he allowed just three runs on four hits while striking out a career high 10 batters.
The Seahawks sticks also stayed hot as they banged
out 13 more hits highlighted by Masci's 3 for 3 and 4 RBI's day as well as Intagliata's 2 for 4, 4 RBI afternoon. Other
contributors were Spanopoulos who went 3 for 4 and Carr who tacked on two more hits. The two also connected on the defensive
end as Carr's barehand gem in the 6th was neatly scooped by Spanopoulos to stamp out a potential Plainview insurance run.
The red hot Seahawks now head into the bye week
at 3-3 overall and 2-3 in league just one game out of first as the AA-II race already tightens. Up next on April 21st
is the Farmingdale Dalers who host the Seahawks at 10AM.
Seahawks Soar 9-4
After three clunkers to open the AA-II campaign, the Seahawks
finally put together enough on the defensive end to preserve a 9-4 win over the Plainview-JFK Hawks.
John "The Hefty Lefty" Molloy earned his, as
well as the team's, second win of the season by going six and a third innings striking out 11, scattering nine hits and allowing
just two earned runs.
At the plate it was all about our own seven,
eight and nine hitters instead of someone else's for once as that four man group combined to go a monstrous 7 for 10.
Tyler "Cuckoo for" Cuoco "Puffs," went 1 for 1 with a run scored. Gianni "San Pedro De Marcoris" Masci added a double
while Brian "BALCO" Hardman and Chris "The Bucket Basher" Vella each did the real damage as they went 3 for 4 and 2 for 3
respectively. Vella's three RBI's also tied a career high. Further up the lineup Sal "Helmet Head" Intagliata
finally broke free as he contributed two singles and a triple to pace the top of the lineup.
After an off day, the Seahawks return home on
Thursday to play the rubber match as they continue to tweak and adjust to the ability grouping crunch.
Hawks Rally Falls Short
Despite mounting a a four run rally in the last
two innings the Hawks once again couldn't finish the job as they dropped the AA-II opener to the Plainview Hawks 8-7 in eight
innings.
More of the bad karma that has plagued them in
the first two games reappeared in bunches as Plainview capitalized on six walks and three errors to stretch their lead to
7-3 going in to the 6th. Of their eight runs only four were earned, three scored via the free pass and four came with
two outs. Opponents seven, eight and nine batters continue to haunt Seahawks pitchers as they combined to go 3
for 7 with three runs scored.
Still, the Hawks had their chances. Another
solid first inning highlighted by Joe "A-Rod" Carr's second Home Run of the season staked the Hawks to an early 3-1 lead.
Tommy "T" Torregrossa also stayed hot at the plate going 3 for 5 as did Jamie "Are You Serious?" Spanopoulos who chipped in
two more hits. Then with the bottom of the order getting hot late, the Hawks looked like they might rally back after
allowing six straight runs to Plainview.
In the sixth a walk and consecutive singles by
Dan "Buoy" Babich, John "J.P." Punis and John "Olerud" Molloy cut the lead to 7-5 going into the seventh. Torregrossa
started it with a single before Sal "Seawolf" Intagliata's seeing eye single made it first and second. Two outs followed
before the Hawks caught a break as a mutiple error by the shortstop allowed the Hawks to tie. Unfortunately the rally
fell short with Babich standing on third.
In the extra frame, the Hawks home field advantage
backfired as a 220 foot flyout double brought home a base on balls runner from second. The Seahawks then went quietly
in the bottom of the eighth to drop to 0-3 and possession of the AA-II basement.
Ability grouping, the ups and the downs will
be with the Hawks all year. For now however, it is time to just get that first win. They get an immediate chance
on Tuesday as they travel to Plainview for their only 2008 visit.
Pirates Pillage Hawks
Another
early lead, another big inning against, and another disappointing defeat greeted the Hawks in game two of their Crossover
schedule as they were sunk by the Pirates of Mepham 15-8.
Even when things were going well the
Hawks found a way to stumble as a 2-0 first inning lead after singles by Joe "Ray Charles" Carr, Tommy "Shuttle Run" Torregrossa
and John "Southpaw" Molloy all went for naught when two of them were caught stealing and picked off. After tying it
on a Home Run in the bottom of the first, Mepham cashed in the long ball again in the third to highlight a four run rally,
all unearned, to stake the Pirates to a 6-2 lead.
Showing some mettle of their own,
the Hawks answered with a five spot in the fifth as patience at the plate resulted in four walks, a sacrifice and another
Hit By Pitch for Chris "Magnet" Vella giving the Hawks the lead 7-6. That lead vanished just as quickly as in the Massapequa
meltdown as the Pirates batted around in the home half of the fifth to take a commanding 13-7 lead.
The teams traded scores later to
finalize the stat sheet at 15-8. Simply put, 26 runs allowed after two games has been very disappointing. Especially
for a pitching staff that prides itself in keeping the ball in play. Basically the ability based format grind has begun
and the Hawks will have to find a way to get back on track. They will have that chance on Monday when they officially
begin Conference AA-II play vs Plainview-JFK at home.
Club Fighter Carey Falls To Champs
A one hit, 6-1, 5th inning lead in years past should have given the Seahawks enough to cruise to an opening
league win. Instead it gave them a front row seat to the show 'This is what it takes to be a Champion' as the Massapequa
Chiefs, the two time defending County Champions, roared back with a nine run blitzkrieg to go ahead 10-6 before closing things
out 11-7 in the AAI/AAII Crossover Opener.
Early on it was all Hawks starting with Joe "Rick
Vaughan" Carr's leadoff Home Run. Tommy "T.T." Torregrossa added three RBI's on a single and double in consecutive innings
while Sal "Scapula" Intagliata chipped in a single and a double to boost the lead to five at the midway point of the game.
Unfortunately, the wheels came off the bus in
a hurry after that as the Chiefs batted around in the top of the fifth taking full advantage of some Carey charity.
Five walks, two hit batsmen, two errors and several
mental miscues spun the Hawks into a tailspin that they never recovered from. When the bleeding had stopped, the momentum
was all but gone as was a shot to knock off the champs at least for a day.
So for now its back to practice to work on the
basics fundamentals as the Hawks continue their quest to break free from the world of entertaining club fighter and get to
the elusive championship level.
Seahawks Crush Knights 18-2
With a capacity crowd of nearly
250 people looking on, the Seahawks, after an emotionally stirring pre-game Dedication Ceremony to the late James Gottlieb
in which the Dugouts were named in his Honor, completed the special morning by easily handling the Floral Park Knights 18-2
in the season opener for both teams.
Despite the bitter cold winds, the Hawks
bats stayed hot as they pounded out 18 hits to match the 18 run total. Gianni "Donuts" Masci led the charge as he went
3 for 4 with two doubles, two steals and five RBI's. Joe "Eye Chart" Carr went 2 for 3 with two RBI's. Sal "Green
Light" Intagliata went 2 for 4 with two RBI's, three runs scored and four stolen bases. Jamie "Tooth Decay" Spanopoulos
added two singles and two RBI's. Brian "No Nickname Yet" Hardman also added two singles and two RBI's. Chris "Chip"
Vella went 2 for 2 with a monster double and an RBI. John "The Professor" Punis, Joe "JG" Gregorio, and John "The
Lanky Lefty" Molloy all added singles to hit parade while Craig "Curly" Brosnan contributed a double and an RBI.
On the hill it was all about John Molloy as he
went five solid innings striking out seven while allowing just two infield singles, an earned run and no walks as he
earned his first Varsity win.
It was a good start to what appears to be
an exciting and challenging 2008 season. The Hawks next play host to the two time County Champs Massapequa on Tuesday
in their League Opener. Game time is 4:30PM.
