They were still confident when they rallied to tie the game with a five-run fourth inning after…
By Dylan Butler
Matt Rizzotti and his teammates on the Molloy baseball team were confident heading into Monday’s CHSAA elimination playoff game against Monsignor Farrell.
They were still confident when they rallied to tie the game with a five-run fourth inning after falling behind, 5-0. But the seventh-seeded Lions answered with six runs in the top of the fifth en route to a 14-10 win at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, ending Molloy’s once promising season.
“We came into the game thinking since we had the higher seed we were probably a little better,” Rizzotti said. “We were thinking coming in we should beat them. On paper we beat them but we didn’t.”
While Molloy (22-6) was confident, the players weren’t comfortable with the slow infield grass at Molloy College. Especially uneasy was shortstop Joe Silvestri, who had two of his team’s four errors in Farrell’s three-run second inning.
“We didn’t field the ball too well, myself included,” Silvestri said. “The field was a little slow and it took us too long to get adjusted to it.”
But No. 5 Molloy roared back. Chris Kaible reached on a bunt, Shaun Cheng singled and Pat Campbell walked to load the bases with no outs.
After Farrell starter Mike Hart, who made just his second start since April 30 after sitting out with tendinitis in his right arm, struck out Balty Contreras, he walked Tom Maser and Anthony Carnacchio to cut the Stanners’ deficit to 5-2.
Silvestri (4-for-4, two RBIs) then lifted the ball over Farrell second baseman Antonio Dileo to drive in two more runs, and Carnacchio scored when Kaible struck out but reached on a wild pitch, tying the game at 5.
In five innings Hart (4-0) gave up five runs — all earned — on five hits while striking out five and walking five.
“I lost the plate,” Hart said. “I changed something in my mechanics and one little thing changes everything, but I got it back in the next inning.”
Molloy starter Brian Duffy (seven runs — five earned — on nine hits with three strikeouts) was pulled after giving up back-to-back hits to right to open the fifth inning. Kaible moved from behind the plate to the mound but he struggled as well, giving up four runs — three earned — on five hits in Farrell’s six-run fifth.
After Farrell (21-6) went ahead, 13-5, in the sixth inning, Molloy scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to get within 13-10, but that was as close as the Stanners would get as Farrell added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning.
Rizzotti’s final high school game was like so many others in the playoffs for the Manhattan-bound slugger. He was walked three times — twice intentionally — and flew out to right field before getting hit by a pitch in the seventh inning.
“When I get back to school and clean out my locker, then it will hit me,” Rizzotti said of the end of his high school career. “Seniors are done. They’re forcing us to clean out.”
Molloy 6, Mount St. Michael 4. The Stanners rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit last Thursday at St. John’s to eliminate Mount.
After Rizzotti was intentionally walked for the second time, Kaible put Molloy ahead for good, driving in Matt Murdoch in the sixth inning. Rizzotti — the Stanners’ starting pitcher — settled down after a shaky first inning to allow one extra-base hit the rest of the way, then scored Cheng’s sacrifice fly to center.
Regis 3, Molloy 2. St. Francis College-bound Dan Noble gave up a first-inning opposite homer to Rizzotti but gave up just three hits the rest of the way to lift Regis to a 3-2 win June 2 at St. John’s. After Molloy tied the game at 2 in the top of the fifth, Dan Kennedy put Regis back in front with an RBI-single, scoring Mike Goryinski.
Molloy wins JV city title. Led by pitcher Andrew Lantos, who pitched a complete-game two-hitter, Molloy (30-4) shut out Fordham Prep, 5-0, to win the CHSAA junior varsity city championship at Molloy College Saturday.
Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
