By The TimesLedger
The Queens Surface Rockies saved their bats for their home opener, beating Port Washington, 16-3, Sunday, at the Glen Oaks Oval after losing the season opener to the same Port team, 7-2, at Lions Field in Port Washington the night before in girls’ softball senior league action. Alexis Namit pitched a complete game in the opener, striking out 13 Port players and giving up only four hits in six innings. Alexis also supplied offense, bashing a triple and scoring on a steal of home. Theresa Pullo scored the other run after earning a walk, stealing second and third and reaching home when Lorey Giblin’s ball fell in between short and left.
The Queens Surface Rockies bats erupted in the first inning of their home opener after Port scored two runs in the top of the inning. Lorey Giblin and Alexis Namit walked and scored when clean-up hitter Marisa Bearak drove an opposite field double. The Rockies took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when Tara McCullagh followed Lauren Epstein’s walk with a home run to center field. Jessica Gauthier singled and scored on Gina Scali’s sacrifice. The Rockies added two more runs with two outs in the third after Cynthia Johnson and Jennifer Francis singled and scored after bases loaded passes to Tara and Jessica. Two innings later singles by Tara and Jessica drove home Marisa and Lauren Epstein, sandwiched between Jennifer’s steal of home. The Rockies scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth on singles by Gina, Melisa Ritchie, Lorey, Alexis and Marisa and Nicole Epstein’s triple. Nicole’s six-hit complete game victory featured 11 strikeouts, giving up only three runs in seven innings. One standout defensive plays featured Marisa, who was robbed of an extra base hit in her second at bat.
The Queens Surface Rockies play their Glen Oaks rivals, the Senator Padavan BlueJays, Saturday, April 20, at the Glen Oaks Oval at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, April 21, at 6 p.m., they host Merillon, also at the Oval.
C-Town Braves upset Joe’s Pizza Cyclones
The C-Town Braves upset Joe’s Pizza Cyclones in a thriller on Sunday, April 14. The Cyclones jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with a big three-run home run coming off the bat of Jeremy Goldberg. The Braves battled back to take an 8-6 lead after four complete innings with big hits from Sam Hoffman, Josh Peltzer,and Vivn Mathew. That’s when it got exciting. The never-say-die Cyclones Joey Gillespie, Justin Namit and Han all belted home runs in the top of the fifth to put the Cyclones back on top, 11-8. The Braves answered back in the bottom of the fifth to tie it up 11-11, the big blow being Jonathan LI’s two-run single over second. base.The Braves’ Matthew Kruczowy, who came on to get the final out in the fifth, struck out the first two batters he faced in the sixth and Joey Shafer’s diving grab gave the Braves a chance to pull the game out in the bottom of the sixth.A walk to Josh Weinstein, who quickly stole second and third with none out gave the Braves’ fans some hope, but Cyclones’ ace Cory Klein quieted the crowd by striking out the next two Braves batters. As Klein ran the count full to the Braves’ Adam Spitz, the oval grew quiet in anticipation of the next pitch.The silence quickly turned to jubilation, as Spitz lined the next pitch into center field to win the game for the Braves.
Highlights for the Braves also included a great pitching performance by Jake Robinson and excellent baserunning by Shawn Wollman. Nick Finoccio said after the game the Cyclones ran faster than a real cyclone. The Braves’ record is now 2-0.
Waldbaums Cards defeat Modell’s Lions, 5-3
In a game played on Tuesday, April 9, the Waldbaums Cardinals defeated the Modell's Lions in a low-scoring game. Joey Caraballo took the loss for the Lions after having trouble finding the strike zone. Jonathan Medina pitched a good game for the Cards, striking out 15 and walking only one batter. Medina was very sharp and had most of the Lions batters confused all evening. He allowed four hits, singles by Will Opatow and Joey Caraballo and a triple and home run by Kevin Cheddie.
The Cards didn’t do much offensively, only producing four hits, but many walks courtesy of the Lions was enough to help them score the necessary runs to win the game.
Hunan Cafe Astros 9 , Modell's Lions 7
On Saturday morning, the Astros and the Lions took the field for the first time this season and the Lions, behind Kevin Cheddie, took an early lead and for a while looked like an sure victory for the Modell’s Lions. In the first inning, Joey Caraballo hit his second home run of the season with one runner aboard to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. That lead did not last long, as the Astros tied the score after Jay Hausdorf hit a double and errors by the Lions help the Astros get even in the bottom of the first. The Lions scored two more runs in the second when Caraballo doubled, but the rally was stopped by the Astros defense, as Chris Venturella was tagged out at home trying to score. The Lions took a 7-4 lead and looked that victory was in the bag at that point. Joey Caraballo took the mound and once again had problems with the strike zone and, with poor support from the Lions defense, allowed the Asters to come out on top at the end.
For the Astros, Hausdorf had a double and two singles with 3 RBIs, while Caraballo a home run, double and four RBIs in three at bats for the Lions. Ryan Persaud added a double and a single and an RBI.
Joe’s Pizz Cyclone stop Indians in season opener, 4-1
Jeremy Goldberg hurled five scoreless innings, striking out 12 and allowing only one hit to lead the Joe’s Pizza Cyclones to a 4-1 victory in their season opening International Division Glen Oaks Little League contest. Jeremy also homered to lead off the third inning for the Cyclones and was on base when Justin Namit clouted a long first-inning home run. Scott Carey’s infield single drove home the fourth Cyclone’s run. Tyler Brodney doubled and played flawlessly in the field for the victors.
M&M Deli Angel open season with weekend split
The Glen Oaks M&M Deli Angels traveled to Brooklyn to play the Jackie Robinson Astros to open the season. The Angels, playing in the 14-year-old Queens Junior Baseball Alliance, kicked off the season wih a 4-2 victory.Greg Conway’s RBI-single in the first inning gave the Angels a 1-0 lead. Joey Modina was outstanding on the mound for the Angels, giving up only two hits while striking out 15 Astros to get the complete-game victory. Craig Lalla, with some oustanding base running in the sixth, provided the Angels with two runs and the victory.
In game two, the M&M Deli Angels dropped a see-saw game, 10-9, to the Brooklyn East Padres.The Angels came out swinging, scoring four runs in the first innning with big hits from Joey Modina, Sean Wheeler and Anthony Costanzo. Wheeler pitched well for the Angels, giving up only one earned run in four innings.
Bad baserunning and some poor defense doomed the Angels, as the Padres scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to win the game, 10-9.
Ross Kruczowy and Matt Murphy continued their hot hitting for the Angels, with two hits a piece. Brian Li-A-Ping has been outstanding in the field for the Angels, who look to turn it around in next weekend’s games.
