RSS Feed
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
Massapequa Chiefs win LI Championship
Massapequa captured the Class AA title June 4 with at 10-4 win over a 26-2 Connetquot squad. The Chiefs dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker in the state semi-finals to Utica Proctor June 10, capping an unexpected playoff run for a new group of starters. Massapequa senior lefty pitcher Jeff Giordano shut down the Utica-Proctor batters for six innings before they put across two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the come-from-behind 2-1 win. The next day Utica-Proctor captured the state title with a 3-2 victory over North Rockland. Massapequa finished the 2007 season 21-8 a year after going 29-0 in route to a state title but Sheedy said the adversity his boys battled through from early season blowout defeats made this year's squad extremely rewarding. The only returning starter for Massapequa in the 2007 season was center fielder Dan Robinson, a three year everyday player for the Chiefs meaning every other position was filled by reserves from the 2006 team. Sheedy said the players' maturity to not let the defeats get them down contributed to the late season success. "It [was] a senior laden team with talent that just needed the time to prove itself," said Coach Sheedy. "It's a team that came back stronger and more determined." In assessing the season, Head Coach Tom Sheedy said that in addition to the Chief's on-field success, he was impressed by the players' strong academic performance. Eleven members of the team had averages of 90 percent or better. This includes cocaptains Matt Bayer, who is ranked number four in his class and will be taking his pitching abilities to Washington University in St. Louis next year, and senior catcher Kyle Sullivan who will be attending the Ivy League's Cornell University. Giordano will play post high school at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, a Division I program that competes in the Metro Atlantic Con- ference with the likes of Fairfield, Iona and Manhattan. After dropping their regular season finale to Syosset 11-7 the Chiefs rolled through the early Nassau County playoff rounds demolishing Hicksville 11-0 in the first round before a 5-1 win over Valley Stream Central in the semi-finals. In the Nassau County semi-finals Marc Nicholson sent the Chiefs to the finals with a game winning hit in the bottom of the seventh breaking a 3-3 tie and capping a 4-3 come-from-behind win over top seeded East Meadow. In the best-of-three county championship series against MacArthur Massapequa won 3-1 in the opening game before a 9-0 defeat in game two set up a winner-take-all game three on June 1 at Farmingdale State Park. Senior Matt Bayer nearly single handed brought Massapequa the county title by tossing a four-hitter and hitting the winning RBI double in the Chiefs a 5-2 win. Two days later the Chiefs completed the Cinderalla playoff run with a 10-4 win over Connetquot to capture the Long Island title and giving the new group of starters a chance to repeat last year's title. Sheedy said the 2007 squad thrived on the lack of expectations and loved proving everybody wrong. "They handled all the lack of notoriety very well," he said. "They are now getting the fruits of their hard work." The 2007 team includes, Vinny Caesar, Jeff Giordano, Marc Nicholson, Kyle Sullivan, Mike Boyce, Drew Bergmann, Matt Barle, Mike Murello, Matt Bayer, Mike Mauri, Matt Shelters, Ryan Scarsbrick, Travis Locasio, Dan Robinson, Chris Iovino, Anthony Rosato, Mike Hennessy, Matt Hardy, Anthony Abruzzino, Joe DeGennaro, Mike Fitzgerald, Scott Mulford, Nick Falcone, Bryan Edwards and Mike Mandarino. Bayer and Sullivan are team captains.
|
for larger version       Ads have a Patent Pending. Click Here for More Information |
|||||||||||||||
)
