Big Red Baseball Jumps on Rams Early for Upset Win

It took 1/3 of an inning for the Glen Cove High baseball team to secure a bye through to the quarterfinal round of the Nassau County Class A playoffs. 

"Before the game, I talked about taking their hearts," coach Carmine Rotolo said.

Glen Cove, the seventh seed in the playoffs, put all eight batters that came to the plate on base in the top of the first inning, and pushed across four runs. Run-scoring singles by Chris Theodorou, Peter Cappiello and Michael Iannetta gave Big Red its first three runs, and Iannetta came home to score on a double steal. 

"We came out on fire and got up right away," said shortstop Richie Maccarone. "Getting a four-run lead on the best team in the league is great."

So with a 4-0 lead before Cappiello put a cleat on the rubber, the senior ace settled in and dominated second-seeded Clarke, keeping its often high-powered offense silent. Cappiello fanned six batters and allowed four hits in seven innings of work. Batters hit just .160 against him. 

"He's the biggest big-game pitcher I've ever seen. That's who you want on the mound," Rotolo said.

Cappiello battled a knee injury throughout the game, and outside of the Clarke's leadoff hitter, no one went beyond second base.

"I was just thinking in my mind that if I don't walk guys, and make the right pitches, we'll be fine," Cappiello said.

With two outs in the fifth inning, Clarke threatened with runners on the corners, but Maccarone, who'll play college baseball at C.W. Post, handled a high, bad hop on a ground ball and threw out Clarke's Tom Fusco at first to end the inning.

"I was trying to get in front of the ball," Maccarone said. "It was a big play to end the inning."

Then in a similar situation in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, Clarke put runners on first and second. But this time Marc Cvitan drilled a Cappiello pitch deep to center field. Glen Cove's Jabbar Morales tripped in center, but recovered, and tracked the wind-controlled ball to make the catch in front of the 350-foot sign on the warning track.

"Jabbar made a key play in center field that saved the day," Cappiello said.

Rotolo has stressed smart defense and baserunning all season long. In the biggest game of the year up until now, that is what paved the way for the Big Red win.

Alert baserunning earned Big Red an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Second baseman Tom Montefusco reached on an error, moved to second on defensive interference, advanced to third on a passed ball and a dirt-covered Montefusco scored on a double steal.

"They had a phenomenal practice yesterday and [baserunning is] what we worked on," Rotolo said.

Now for Big Red, it's on to the quarterfinal round where it awaits an opponent to play in a best-two-out-of-three series. With three days of rest before that, Cappiello expects to take the hill again.

"The way we've been clicking the past five games, it's going to be tough to beat us," Cappiello said.