After nine straight rainouts, the Midville Dodgers College team finally made its 2003 debut last week, winning three of four games in the Interstate Collegiate Baseball League.
In the opener, Midville defeated the Throgs Neck Braves, 7-3, at Juniper Valley Park, making a successful debut for new manager James Arrante. Over the weekend, Midville dropped a 6-5 decision to the Somers Angels Saturday, but the team bounced back to sweep a doubleheader from the Ardsley Angels, 8-5 and 11-7, at Ardsley High School Sunday.
Against Throgs Neck, pitcher Tristan Cetto (Baruch College) was touched up for two unearned runs in the first inning but hurled shutout ball over the next four innings to get the win. He left with a 7-2 lead. Rubin Feliciano pitched the sixth inning, striking out all three batters he faced. Dan Powers pitched the seventh inning. The trio combined on a four-hitter.
Midville pounded out 11 hits with Bryan Pastor (Nassau Community College), Sylvester Gutierrez (Manhattan) and Mike Giampilis (St. Francis) each getting two hits. Gutierrez singled in a run in the home first, and Mike Aglialoro (St Francis) singled home another run in the second to tie the game.
Midville knocked out the Braves’ starting pitcher in the third with four runs on four hits and two walks. Phillip Kuhner (Manhattan) drove in the go-ahead run, and Giampilis doubled home two more and scored on a wild relay throw. An RBI triple by Robert Morales (Lehman High School) scored Giampilis, who had singled with the final run in the fifth.
Midville edges Somers, 6-5
The Somers game started the previous week at Reis Park in Somers. Somers was leading 5-4 after two innings when the lights failed to go on. A two-run home run by Giampilis and hits by Pastor and Aglialoro had given the Dodgers an early 4-3 lead. The game was suspended and resumed Saturday. When the game resumed pitching dominated.
An RBI double by David Spinner (Emory) in the third tied the game at 5-5. Feliciano came on to pitch for Midville and hurled three scoreless innings. In the sixth a bloop hit and two bunt singles followed by a two-out walk forced in the deciding run. Midville tried to rally in the seventh. With one out, Pastor and Jorge Livermore (Columbia) hit back-to-back singles. Marc Gold’s (Columbia) grounder to second was turned into a game-ending double play.
Midville sweeps Ardsley
Marc Gold made amends in the doubleheader against Ardsley with three-run doubles in both games to put the Dodgers ahead. In the top of the second, a Giampilis double and walks to Aglialoro and Morales loaded the bases and Gold promptly unloaded with a double to right center.
The game was broken open in the fifth inning when Midville scored five runs for an 8-0 lead. Hits by Livermore, Giampilis and Kuhner keyed the inning.
James DeLucia (Holy Cross) pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit. Thomas Fusaro (Baruch) went the next three, allowing three hits and one earned run to get the win. Eugene Kapela pitched the seventh.
In the second game, Midville jumped off to a 6-0 lead with six runs on six hits in the second inning. Singles by Kuhner, Aglialoro and Pastor loaded the bases, and Gold lined a two-out double to right center, scoring all three runners. Livermore singled Gold home. He stole second and scored on Giampilis’ single.
The Dodgers made it 8-0 in the fourth on singles by Gold, Gutierrez and Kuhner.
Midville ended its scoring with three in the sixth inning, with Gold and Livermore adding hits.
Midville finished with a 13-hit attack, with Gold getting three hits and Livermore, Kuhner and Aglialoro adding two apiece.
Cetto went the first five innings allowing just two hits and no runs. He left with an 8-0 lead. Ross Barna (Columbia) struggled through the sixth inning and was wild in the seventh. Kapela came on with two runners in scoring position and struck out the final two batters for his first save.
MV Dodgers Seniors sweep Westchester
The Midville Dodgers Senior team (ages 17 to 18) began its season on a high note with a two-game sweep of the Westchester Hawks at Juniper Valley Park on Sunday.
Kevin Conlin, a Monsignor McClancy High School standout and Cornell University-bound pitcher, started the first game and pitched seven strong innings, giving up three hits and one unearned run. The Dodgers, however, found themselves trailing 1-0 going into the seventh and final inning.
With only one single by shortstop Vinny Johnson, the game seemed to be lost. But when things looked most gloomy for the locals, a spark ignited Midville. With two out in the seventh, Tom Catalanato, a Molloy High School player, hit a double over the leftfielder’s head.
Dean Andriotis walked to put runners on first and second, and a wild pitch that bounced into the dugout scored Catalanato. Steve Kroski, a McClancy standout catcher, promptly singled to left to score the winning run and give the Dodgers a dramatic 2-1 victory.
Copello, Kroski provide punch as Dodgers complete sweep, 13-3
The second game started on a better note as the Dodgers scored four runs in the first inning. Dave Copello, a McClancy graduate and a Coker College North Carolina-bound player, started the inning with a walk, which would the first of four straight times Dave would reach base.
Vinny Johnson bunted for a hit and wound up on third as the Hawks threw the ball around, allowing Copello to score from first. Matt Rizzotti, a Molloy High School all-star, singled, scoring Johnson with the second run. A single by Steve Kroski and a double by the second-game pitcher, Carlos Lopez, a Tufts University signee, gave the Dodgers their third run.
Dave Pagan, another of the many Molloy players, singled to score the fourth run. Lopez had the Hawks totally under control with his powerful arm, but his control failed him by the fifth inning and was relieved by Pagan, who kept the Hawks at bay with his assortment of pitches. The game ended on the mercy-rule game in the sixth when Steve Kroski sent everyone home with his bases-clearing homer as the Dodgers took the second game, 13-3.
