Baseball

Rams Closer to Clinching First Round Bye in Skyline Playoffs with Old Westbury Sweep

Game 1
Farmingdale State – 3, Old Westbury - 1

Game 2
Farmingdale State – 14, Old Westbury - 0

Junior pitcher, Tom Heeman Farmingdale, N.Y. – Junior pitcher Tom Heeman (Valley Stream, N.Y./Hewlett) went eight innings in game one for a 3-1 victory and senior pitcher Rob Savarese (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) went five innings allowing just three hits in the second game, as the Rams swept Old Westbury (11-25, 8-6) to improve to 18-13, 11-3 in the Skyline today in a baseball doubleheader in Farmingdale, N.Y. Farmingdale State is one win away from clinching a first round bye for the Skyline Conference Baseball Playoffs, which start on Wednesday, April 30th and are the host site for the Tournament on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

In game one, the Rams took a 2-0 lead. Senior third basemen Luis Feliciano (Bronx, N.Y./Park West) reached on a single, followed by a single by junior shortstop Brian Benvenuto (Dix Hills, N.Y./Hills West) singled and sophomore Mike Labrozzi (Sag Harbor, N.Y./Pierson) was hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Freshman first basemen Kevin Curtis (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead) hit an RBI fielder’s choice to score Feliciano and the second run was scored off a throwing error.

After four innings of scoreless play, Old Westbury made it 2-1 with a triple by junior outfielder Ben Farmer (Three Mile Bay, N.Y./Lyme Central) and a sacrifice fly by freshman shortstop Joe Mazzarese (Copiague, N.Y./Copiague). The Panthers had a chance to tie in the top of the seventh when freshman first basemen Emmanuel Mateo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker) singled, stole second and was advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, but was caught stealing home by Heeman and sophomore catcher Zak Nersesian (Nyack, N.Y./Nyack). The Rams scored their third run in the bottom of the seventh when Feliciano hit another single up the middle to score Nersesian (Nyack, N.Y./Nyack) from second. Heeman was relieved by sophomore Billy Garofalo (Patchogue, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) for a three out save in the ninth inning, striking out two batters.

The second game featured 13 hits by Farmingdale State in the 14-run shutout. Labrozzi opened the bottom of the first with a three-run homerun over the left field fence for a quick 3-0 lead. The Rams added one more run in the second and third innings, three in the fifth and a big six-run inning in the sixth for the convincing victory.

Farmingdale State will now host Baruch on Tuesday, April 22nd in a single non-conference game at 3:30 p.m.

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