LI Bulls stop Midville in opener
The Dodgers returned from San Diego to enter the National Amateur Baseball Federation Northeast Regional Tournament. Play began last Thursday, against the Long Island Bulls. Andrew Kapela started game one, keeping the Bulls off balance for 3 1/2 innings, during which the game remained scoreless.
The Dodgers put the first runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Matt Shelley reached base on a double to right field. He was then driven in by a double off the bat of Chris Scopo. Kapela followed with a base hit, driving in Scopo, making it the only two Dodger runs for the entire game; however, in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Bulls came back to make the final score 7-2.
Midville bounces Youth Service, 12-5
In game two the Dodgers faced Youth Service. Justin Dross started the game and pitched well enough to keep it within reach. Again, the Dodgers were only capable of posting two runs in four innings. Youth Service had the Dodgers on the ropes until the fifth inning, when the Dodgers came back with five runs with some timely hitting from Shelley, Greg Lasak and Scopo.
There the score was 7-5, in the Dodgers’ favor for more than two innings. Dross found his second wind, shutting the Youth Service down for the rest of the game and having a total of seven strikeouts and three walks. The Dodgers drove the final nail in the coffin in the top of the seventh inning by scoring five more runs, making the final score 12-5.
Midville advances to semifinals, buries Mudcats
On day two, in game three of tournament play, Dodger pitcher Richie Ardezzone faced the Long Island Mudcats. He kept the Mudcats to only two runs for more than seven innings with seven strikeouts and one base on balls. The Dodgers were down 2-0 until the fourth inning when the bats came alive with a base hit from Kapela, who was driven in by Joe Palmeri.
The Dodgers took the lead in the fifth inning with back-to-back hits from Shelley and Matt Murdoch, again driven in by a Palmeri single. The Dodgers added one more in the top of the sixth inning with some timely hitting from Robert Keen and Paul Desmond, making the final score 4-2. This win propels the Dodgers into the semifinals against the Bayside Yankees.
Yanks send Dodgers packing
Game four against the Bayside Yankee Junior Nationals did not turn out the way the Dodgers had hoped. It was a lopsided game from the beginning. The Junior Nationals drew first blood by scoring three runs in the first inning. The Dodgers responded in the bottom of the second inning, adding a run with Palmeri’s getting hit by a pitch and Matt Schindler’s driving him in with a crushing double to right field.
The Yankees pitching and hitting proved to be more than the Dodgers could handle. The final score was 10-1, which eliminated the Dodgers from the final round of the tournament. In the end, the Dodgers’ final record was 2-2.
Cyclones spin Midville
Upon completion of the tournament, the Dodgers baseball week continued. They resumed regular league play on Saturday in Cortlandt, N.Y. against the Cortlandt Cyclones. The first game of the doubleheader began with Cortlandt getting on the board first.
Matt Schindler began the game and allowed two runs off two sharply hit doubles. But from that point he settled down and allowed only four runs over six innings. The Dodgers came back in the first inning and scored a run to keep the game within reach until the top of the sixth inning. Roger Eckstein relieved a tiring Schindler, and the Cyclones went ahead with some timely hitting. The Dodgers added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, where the score stayed at 8-7.
In the nightcap, the Dodgers were both physically and mentally drained. Eight games in four days proved to be too much for the players and it showed as they only scored one run in the seventh inning, losing the night cap 9-1.
The Midville Dodgers Senior team off to Maryland for NABF Championship
The MV Dodgers Seniors (ages 17 to 18) will take to the road Wednesday for Waldorf, Md. for the National Amateur Baseball Federation Regional Playoffs. Led by ace right-hander Kevin Conlin and 6-foot-4 power-hitting Matt Rizzotti, the Dodgers will be well-armed to represent the Long Island Baseball Association.
