Season Ends for Merrick Williamsport Team as Massapequa Coast Snags District Crown

Massapequa Coast's Williamsport team captured the 12-year-old little league district title Friday night with an 11-1 win over Merrick. 

It was a stunning end to the season for the Merrick boys, who reached the state finals last year as 11-year-olds. 

"We played our best," Merrick coach Bob Pizzimenti said after the game at Burns Park in Massapequa.  "We got beat by a better team.  They deserve it."  

Massapequa Coast beat Merrick on Thursday 6-2 to force a deciding title game and the boys in blue and yellow picked up right where they left off when they took the field on Friday. 

Nick Armento doubled off of Merrick starter Jonah Zeitlin in the top of the first and Tommy Macri knocked him home with a single to put Massapequa on the board.

"We had the momentum from yesterday," Massapequa coach Vinny Camarda would say later when asked about his team's offensive onslaught.

Merrick threatened in its half of the first with Bayyan Ngala-El and Mike Schwartz reaching on singles, but a shoestring catch from Tyler Ruth at first base for Massapequa helped keep the score at 1-0. 

Massapequa began to break the game open in the third inning, taking a 4-0 lead behind a Ruth single and a few fielding mishaps for Merrick.

Merrick again put a couple of boys on base in the third as Zeitlin and Schwartz, who was 3-3 at the plate, each singled but Massapequa's southpaw hurler Noah Lorenzo got his team out of the inning unscathed.

The fourth inning brought more trouble for Merrick.  Brad Baldinger and Greg Camarda stroked singles off of Zeitlin and Ruth laced an RBI-double to right field to score two. 

Schwartz took over pitching duties for Merrick, but Massapequa could not be stopped as Ryan Warner doubled down the third baseline to drive home two more to put his team up 8-0.

Merrick got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fourth.  Center fielder Eric Pauly doubled and then advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Frank Pusateri grounded out to first, but sent Pauly home in the process. 

Merrick would get no closer, though, as Massapequa tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 11-1.  Schwartz and Kelvin Pabon got on base for Merrick in the bottom of the inning, but Lorenzo struck out Pauly to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule and start the celebration for Massapequa. 

"It's amazing," Lorenzo said of the win to clinch the District 31 championship.  "It's taken us two years to get this far."

Lorenzo's arm played no small part in the victory, shutting down a Merrick lineup loaded with great hitters.

Asked to comment on his pitcher's gem, coach Camarda let the stats tell the story.

"He's given up two earned runs in four games," he said of Lorenzo.

Enough said.

Merrick came into Thursday's game smoking hot, having outscored opponents 29-2 over the first three games of the tournament.  The team Merrick beat 11-0 to reach the district finals, North Bellmore-North Merrick, was the team that handed Massapequa Coast its one loss in the double elimination tournament.

"We knew it was going to be tough to beat them, but I knew we could," said Massapequa's Conor Brennan, who hit an RBI single Friday, of Merrick.  

Of needing to beat Merrick twice to win the title, Camarda said: "We were very concerned. We knew they were a great team." 

The Merrick players were in no mood to talk after the game, but their coach said he told them he was just as proud of them Friday night as he was when the team went to the state championship last year.

"No one can take away what you guys accomplished," Pizzimenti told his team.

Massapequa Coast will now move on to compete in the regional tournament, which is expected to begin next Wednesday.  Pizzimenti, in a true display of class, had a few words for the Massapequa players on the field after the game. 

"You guys were awesome," he said.  "Anyone who can beat our guys two days in a row deserves it. Believe in yourself. We went to the state finals last year, you can do it. We want to pass it on to you."