| Published: July 28, 2008  A trio of Long Island Tigers pitchers combined on the team\'s first no-hitter in 40-plus games this summer, Sunday at City Stadium.
And they couldn\'t have saved the feat for a better time - in the championship game of the National Amateur Baseball Federation 17-under World Series, a dominating 9-1 triumph over the previously undefeated Delco Diamonds. Ryan O'Kelly, who started a 5-3 10-inning victory over consolation champion Stembridge (Md.) in Thursday\'s tournament opener at Heritage, pitched the first three innings. He gave up an unearned run in the first when leadoff batter Rob Benedict reached second on an error and scored on two wild pitches by O'Kelly. Second-game starter Josh Laufer relieved him to begin the fourth, walking six, but striking out four and not allowing a hit over the next 3 1/3 innings. "I didn't approach it as a championship game," Laufer said. "I wanted to just go out there, relax and focus on what I do every game." Third-game starter Sean Apuzzo, who threw an effective slow curveball, came on in the seventh and recorded the final two outs to complete the no-hitter. "Our pitching coach worked them to be ready to throw three innings each," Tigers manager Ken Auer said, noting each was fatigued from their previous starts. "They gave us three different looks - medium, fast and slow." "Their pitching was outstanding," Delco manager Rich Merchant added. "You're not going to win when you get no-hit." After leaving the bases loaded in the second, Long Island struck for the tying run with two outs in the third when Matt Reistetter singled to right to score Will Carmona, who had reached on the first of Delco's three errors. Then in the fourth, after Anthony Mucchio walked and ninth batter Mike Angelo singled solidly to center, championship game MVP Casey McKay drove in the go-ahead runs with his two-out double over the head of Diamonds center fielder Mike Raimo. Leading 3-1, the Tigers broke the game wide open with a six-run bottom of the sixth when Angelo and Brett Roeske reached on bunt hits up the third-base line, McKay walked and Carmona cleared the bases with his single to left, which turned into a triple when it bounced past a diving Evan Cline and rolled to the warning track. Three batters later, Mucchio tripled to right to drive in the final two runs. Auer said the dramatic opening win over Stembridge set the stage for the Tigers' 7-0 World Series run. "That fired up the team and got us ready for tournament baseball and showed us what it\'s going to be about," Auer said. "We didn\'t just want to win games, we wanted to beat teams." That\'s precisely what they did to the Diamonds on Sunday, powered by their pitching. "We wanted to win the game and pitching a no-hitter was just gravy on it," Auer said. "It was a bonus." Long Island Tigers 9, Delco (Pa.) Diamonds 1 Delco Diamonds 100 000 0 - 1 0 3 Long Island Tigers 001 206 x - 9 11 2 W: Ryan O'Kelley. Records: Long Island 7-0, Delco 6-1. Highlights: LI - Matt Reistetter 2-4; Anthony Mucchio 2-3, walk, run, 3B; Mike Angelo 2-3, run; Ryan O'Kelly 3 IP, 0 hits, 1 run, 0 ER, 1 K; Josh Laufer 3.1 IP, 4 Ks, 6 BBs, 0 hits, 0 runs; Sean Apuzzo 0.2 IP, 0 hits, 1 BB. |
View the Calendar of Events
