By Sean Reilly
Sal Conti and his Richmond County Baseball Club 15U Americans-Myers teammates have played so many games over the years at Diamond Nation that they’ve encountered just about every situation.
More often than not, it works out well for the group from Staten Island. But on Sunday afternoon, things weren’t trending well against Squeeze Baseball 16U from Bergen County in the final of the 16U Summer Finale tournament.
A four-run lead had disappeared in the fourth inning of a slow moving game. The 1:50 play clock was going to expire early in the fifth inning, and any momentum created through the first part of the contest had vanished.
It wasn’t time to panic, but there was certainly a need to refocus. And that’s exactly what RCBC did in both halves of the inning.
Peter Lynskey supplied a hustling go-ahead RBI single in the top of the frame, and Dom DiGiacomo threw a five-pitch bottom of the fifth to close out a 6-5 victory for the championship in Flemington.
Conti, who was 1-for-3 in the game (and 6-for-11 on the weekend), pitched the first four innings of the final, earning the tournament MVP.
“We worked hard together,” he said.
RCBC began the top of the fifth with No. 12 batter Matt Marco drawing a walk on a 3-1 pitch. The order flipped to the top, and leadoff man Conti. Marco stole second and advanced to third on a balk before remaining in place as Conti grounded out to first.
Joseph Ozzimo grounded out to third, with Marco again having to remain at third.
Up next was Lynskey, who had a 2-2 count when he hit a slow chopper on the third base side. It was fielded by the pitcher, who had to fire the ball on the move toward first with Lynskey running there at full speed. The throw pulled the fielder off the base, and Lynskey was safe with the go-ahead RBI single.
DiGiacomo then pitched a shutdown bottom of the inning to end the game and complete a 4-0-1 weekend for RCBC.
Sal Conti of RCBC 15U Americans was named MVP of the 16U Summer Finale.
RCBC built its prior lead by scoring three times in the top of the first. Conti, who scored eight times in the tournament, led off with a single to center. Ozzimo was hit by a pitch and Lynskey walked to load the bases with nobody out.
Jeremy Javois followed by drawing an RBI walk. After a strikeout, Nicholas Berman also walked to score a run. Christopher Scarpaci then grounded out to deliver the third run.
Squeeze Baseball closed to 3-1 in the second, after Evan Gallucci led off with a single to left and later scored when Derek Antigua grounded out to third.
RCBC scored twice in the fourth, after the first two batters were retired, for a 5-1 advantage.
Walks to Berman, Scarpaci and Christian Conca loaded the bases. Joey Menoni was then hit by a pitch to score Berman, and Nicholas Cianciaruso brought in Scarpaci with a single to center.
Squeeze Baseball then mounted its comeback in the bottom of the fourth.
Michael Battle led off with a single. A hit-by-pitch was followed by a pickoff at first for the first out. Walks to Justin Diez and Aidan Cha loaded the bases for Noah Fisher, who hit a one-run single to center.
Tillman Schroeder then reached on an error which scored two runs, and Rainy Medrano sent an RBI single to right field for a 5-5 tie.
DiGiacomo then came in to pitch, and the first man he faced hit a liner caught by first baseman Javois, who stepped on the base for an inning-ending unassisted double play.
Conti’s weekend also included three walks, several steals and two extra base hits in his leadoff spot.
“I put the ball in play,” he said. “I was trying to jump on the first pitch. It wasn’t my greatest pitching performance, but it kept us in the fight. It all worked out together.”