Mid-Island makes Little League baseball 10s state championship round, 9-7

Mid-Island scored four in the first inning Saturday and three in the second, then held on for a 9-7 win over Maine-Endwell in the Little League New York State 10-year-old baseball tournament at Van Nest LL in the Bronx.

Mid-Island will play Commack at 11 Sunday morning in the championship round. M-I must win Sunday to force a deciding game Monday evening at 5:30 at Van Nest. Commack defeated Mid-Island 5-2 Friday. The tourney champ gets a spot in the LL East Regional in Cranford, R.I.

M-I struck in the first when Justin Klayman singled, Mark Scamardella and John Martello walked and Eric O?Niell swatted a two-run double.

Nick Velluzzi and Stephen Gerwer followed with RBI singles and it was 4-0.

Scamardella?s two-run single was the big hit in the three-run second. Velluzzi?s bunt single made it 7-0.

Maine-Endwell got four in the second off starter Velluzzi, who went 3 two-thirds innings and gave up six runs (four earned) before reaching the pitch limit.

By starting Velluzzi, Calabrese has Klayman and Matt Bedford available for the championship round.

?(Velluzzi) gives us exactly what we need, he comes in throwing strikes, he has a really good change up and he keeps the hitter off balance.? manager Joe Calabrese said.

M-I struck again in the third on Bedford?s RBI double and in the fourth when O?Niell scored on a passed ball.

Maine-Endwell put up single runs in the third, fourth and fifth. Stephen Gerwer relieved in the fourth, and got the first two outs in the sixth before Maine-Endwell singled and brought the tying run to the plate. Bedford relieved and ended the game with a strikeout.

Klayman had three hits, O?Niell, Bedford and Velluzzi had two apiece.

?I like our chances (against Commack),? Calabrese said. ?The game we lost, they played well, they had a big strong arm on the mound. We hit a lot of balls right at guys. Their No. 1 (pitcher) is finished for the tournament and we have our guys lined up. It should be exciting.? ?

Source: http://www.silive.com/youthsports/index.ssf/2013/07/mid-island_makes_little_league.html

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