When the Newtown Pioneers made their way inside Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home of the Single-A New York-Penn League Staten Island Yankees, they were not just visitors. It was an actual home game. Their nameplates were on each locker. When they came to bat, their pictures were displayed on the large screen in the outfield, which before the first pitch read “Welcome to the Home of the Newtown Pioneers.” Better yet, they won the non-league affair, besting Francis Lewis, 7-1.
“Kudos to the Staten Island Yankees for really taking care of us,” Newtown Manager Neil Rosenblatt said. “It was a fantastic game, not because it was a win or a loss; it was a great experience for the kids.”
The game was part of the Baby Bombers’ marketing plan to increase attendance. Any local high school program that can sell 200 tickets receives a home game in the minor league ballpark. Designated hitter Bryan Munoz led the Pioneers with a double, triple and two runs batted in and Franklyn Ramirez picked up the win in the glorified scrimmage in which each team played everyone on the roster and threw a different pitcher in each inning.
In girls soccer, Arts & Business won the 19th annual Elaine Halls Memorial Tournament, knocking off defending city champion McKee/Staten Island Tech and perennial power Stuyvesant in the finals.
To get there, the Bulls, who lead Queens A-VI at 7-1-0, six points ahead of Townsend Harris, beat Wingate and Adams in pool play, winning 4-0 and 3-0, respectively, behind three goals from junior striker Jessica Figueroa and two more by senior fullback Jennifer Quintero. They took down McKee/Staten Island Tech in the bracket final, 1-0, in penalty kicks.
“The girls showed up and really played well,” Arts & Business Coach Keith Horan said of the daylong tournament that featured shortened games at James Madison in Brooklyn. “They opened a lot of eyes.”
