COUNTY FINALS: Carey Knocks MacArthur Out of Series

The Generals' dream of taking the county championship was crushed on Tuesday night when the Carey Seahawks won the their second straight game of the series, 3-0.

The pressure was on MacArthur after losing the first game of the Nassau County Finals on Monday to the Seahawks at SUNY Farmingdale. Tuesday’s game was a chance for the Generals to redeem themselves, tie up the Conference AA County Finals and bring the series into a third and final game.

Carey’s ability to put the ball into the outfield when it counted enabled them to come ahead at the end of the game. Though the Generals did come close a few times loading the bases, they were never able to deliver a run – giving the Seahawks the county win.

The scoreboard was quiet for the first three innings, with both teams unable to knock out any runs. MacArthur’s pitcher Joe Chiaramonte played strong in the beginning of the game, gaining some force in the second inning and making a few quick throws to first baseman Kevin Roach to tag Carey out. Jesse Montalto, the Seahawk pitcher, stayed steady and was easily able to put the ball into the catcher’s glove continuously without letting MacArthur make any contact.

“I think I did great,” Chiaramonte said after the game. “We didn’t really come with the bats, but we did pretty good with the fielding."

Building up momentum, the game began to turn in the fourth. Generals Nick Kaywood, Roach and Chiaramonte all made clean hits at bat, but the Seahawks' quick fielding prevailed. Carey landed two batters on base early in the bottom of the fourth. After Seahawk Kyle DeMeo hit a short one down the right field line, MacArthur slipped up under pressure on the field. Tom Rydzewski was able to bring home the first run of the evening for Carey, making the score 1-0.

MacArthur brought back some energy in the top of the fifth but was quickly shut out by their opponent. The Seahawks showed off their hitting power in the bottom of the inning, bringing back the rally from the fourth to put another run on the scoreboard. By the end of the sixth, Carey had a strong lead at 3-0.

The Generals had one more chance to turn the game around. Chiaramonte put the ball into deep center field and made his way to second base. Carey got the following three batters out, ending the game and the Generals’ dreams for the county title.

“I think we did good,” Chiaramonte said. “Defensively, we did decently. Both games were great battling for the win.”

He continued by saying that his team worked tirelessly from their winter workouts through this final game.