Repeat! The St. Robert Bellarmine (Bayside) 13-year-old CYO baseball team captured its second consecutive Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan Championship (Rookie Division) with a thrilling 8-5 victory over St. Kevin’s at Monsignor McClancy High School last Sat
Starting pitcher Joey Marden struck out seven in a great battle with St. Kevin’s starter John Apostolo (five strikeouts) to get the win on the mound. Marden also delivered two RBIs with a single and a double to stake St. Robert’s to a 2-0 lead after three innings. St. Kevin’s battled back to tie the game at 2 in the third with some aggressive base running as the momentum shifted back and forth in this well-played contest.
St. Robert’s wrestled the lead back in the top of the fourth as Billy Demos and Brian Flynn (RBI single) came through in the clutch with timely hits to take a 4-2 lead late into the game.
That’s when the fireworks began in the deciding frame as the Bellarmine bats came alive. Mike Biordi and Vinny Iannece (two hits each) set the table with key singles. With the bases loaded, catcher Pete Scianna (3-for-4) delivered a bases-clearing triple to drive in three runs and give St. Robert’s an 8-2 advantage.
Head coach Anthony Mongelli’s St. Kevin’s squad wouldn’t quit as they answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, closing the gap to 8-5.
That offensive spark was led by Mark Sheppard, who made some spectacular plays at shortstop, George Rowen and Nick DelGiudice, who had two hits apiece.
The big play for St. Robert’s came in the fifth inning on a great relay from centerfielder Demos to shortstop Biordi, who made a perfect strike to third baseman Iannece. Iannece applied the tag on Rowen, who was out trying to stretch a double into a triple to snuff out St. Kevin’s rally.
Relief pitcher Anthony Mongelli (five strikeouts) shut down the St. Robert’s attack as St. Kevin’s stayed within striking distance. But his counterpart, Chris Paruch, matched him pitch for pitch. Paruch (six strikeouts) came in to pitch four stellar innings to gain the save for St. Robert’s.
St. Kevin’s brought the tying run to the plate twice in the seventh inning, but Paruch got a strikeout and a ground out to first baseman Joey Miccio to start the celebration for St. Robert’s (15-1-1). It would be the second championship in as many years for head coach Jerry Iannece and his team.
St. Robert Bellarmine’s other key contributors on the championship squad for Iannece and assistant coach Dominic Scianna were: Sean Escobedo, Kevin Smith, John-Michael Signor and Mike Gallagher.
For St. Kevin’s, head coach Mongelli and assistant Marino Donaggio had a fine season with a 14-1 record. Other members of their roster include Marc Buccellato, Marino Donaggio, Peter Alisandratos, James Turck, Vincent Salomone and Michel Dussack.
