Massapequa Coast 12-Year-Olds Take Game One of Sectionals

Pitching wins ball games, as was the case on Wednesday night as Noah Lorenzo struck out eleven, and Massapequa Coast handed East Meadow a 6-2 defeat in game one of the 12-year old baseball Sectionals at Red Wing Field in Levittown.

Lorenzo was helped by an early offensive attack. After Nick Armento doubled and advanced on a wild pitch, Tyler Ruth singled him in. Ruth scored two runs and added a double later in the game as well.

"I was psyched," Ruth said. "It's important to get a quick start, and it's nice to get the first win of the Sectionals."

Tommy Macri followed Ruth by slamming a long home run to give Massapequa an early 3-0 lead.

"It was the first pitch, and it was in my zone," Macri said. "I got a good swing on it and it went far."

That lead would be more than enough for Lorenzo, who struck out three of the first six he faced. His lone rough patch came in the top of the third when Brett Clara singled and then Steven Milian homered to cut the Massapequa lead to 3-2.

Lorenzo's pitch "went right down the middle," Milian said. "I was able to put a good wing on it."

Lorenzo dominated after that and allowed just one hit and struck out seven in his 3 innings after the homer.

"I think I did alright," Lorenzo said. "I had good control, and if you don't have that, you can't get guys out."

Massapequa (6-1) added a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth when Macri singled in a pair of runs and Matt Caminiti singled one in as well.

"It made us feel more comfortable," Massapequa Coach Vinny Camarda said. "It made us focus on getting outs because we were up by four runs."

Nick Armento came in to get the game's final two outs, and he struck out a pair.

For East Meadow (5-1), Nick Napolitano went the distance and allowed six runs and eight hits and knows there's room for improvement.

"I could have done better," Napolitano said. "I need to keep the ball down, and I didn't tonight."

East Meadow Coach Todd Koehler said that there's some good that could come out of the loss for his team.

"I'm proud of these guys," Koehler said. "We need to match the other team's intensity, and this is a good lesson for these boys."

Six teams will play four games apiece in the Sectionals. The four with the best records move on to the next round this weekend, with the Long Island Championship being decided on Tuesday night. Massapequa Coast is confident in its chances.

"We have as good a chance as anyone," Ruth said. "I think we can win it all."