Championship Title Slips Away From Malverne Juniors

A late rally in the sixth inning by Malverne's Junior Little League baseball team was not enough to overtake the strong sluggers from Franklin Square Tuesday night to win the District 29 tournament championship title.

Malverne's boys were the first to score in the final game at Whelan Field, where exactly one day earlier, they had beat their opponent in a David-and-Goliath match.

Pitcher Billy Meditz used his speedy legs to beat out the throw to first base to start off the second inning. He scored the first run off of an RBI single from Chris McDaniels by sliding into home as the catcher bobbled the ball to give his team an early 1-0 lead

Franklin Square answered back in the bottom of the third though with a grand slam over the right field fence by Cosgrove (#33).

Malverne went three consecutive innings without adding any runs to the scoreboard, while Franklin Square continued to build on their lead.

Cosgrove threatened to hit another homer with bases loaded at the bottom of the fourth, but Pat McGreevy made a spectacular catch at the fence to thwart him and end the inning.

Still, by the end of the fifth, Franklin Square was ahead 8-1. Despite a number of position changes in the field, Malverne had yet to find a way to shut down their opponent. Meditz, Matt Crowe and Pat McGreevy each took turns on the mound and threw some exceptional pitches but struggled to consistently find the strike zone and neutralize Franklin Square's strong hitters. A few fielding mistakes also prolonged the offensive onslaught, but Malverne did not give up.

In the top of the sixth inning, Malverne's dormant bats sprung to life again. Joe Ruscillo led-off with a single to left field but due to a lingering injury, he had to bring in courtesy runner Frank Masciello, who would score the second run of the night for Malverne.

With bases loaded, Frank Somers hit a sacrifice single to bring home Masciello. Crowe came close to making the second out for Malverne, but was able to steal first after the catcher dropped the third strike. Meditz also stole home on the same play and the rally continued with an RBI from Tom Canny, who found an open pocket in left field to place the ball to send T.J. Magno across the plate.

With two outs and bases loaded, Malverne continued to hit and chip away at Franklin Square's lead. Taylor Figliozzi earned an RBI, smacking the ball into center field to enable Crowe to score. Before the top of the sixth inning ended, the man who started the rally, Ruscillo, was back at the plate. This time he sent the ball over the second baseman's head to bring in Canny and McGreevey for two more runs.

Malverne had brought the championship title back within reach as they headed into the bottom of the sixth down 8-7, and Meditz returned to the mound.

It looked like Malverne was going to maintain their momentum as the first batter fouled out and Meditz sent a strike sailing past Cosgrove. However, the slugger fired back with a line drive single to center field and his teammates proceeded to load the bases. After Franklin Square scored two, McGreevey came in for Meditz, but he too could not stop the slugfest that ensued as their opponent bolstered their lead to 12-7.

With one last offensive opportunity, Malverne tried to stage another comeback but their bats were cold this time. They gracefully accepted their second place medals and clapped as Franklin Square was awarded the championship title.

Their coach, Pete Figliozzi, was proud of his team's performance.

"They showed a lot of class. We came up a little short but never gave up," he said, adding that the team went 4-2 in the tournament. "They are a tough team to beat and they were just too much for us today."

Malverne's senior baseball team will have their shot at a Championship title Wednesday night as they take on Valley Stream at 6 p.m. at Fireman's Field.