57.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Rocks win county championship
Lores pitches gem in decisive third game
East Rockaway came into its best-of-three Nassau County Class C championship baseball series with Friends Academy knowing a third game would be taxing on a starting pitching staff that had been decimated by injuries.
So, after a 3-2 defeat in Game 2 forced the series to go the distance, one would figure the top-seeded Rocks would have reason to be concerned. Not this team.
Senior Joey Lores, making his first start of the season, pitched a gem, going the distance as the Rocks routed the Quakers, 15-5, for their fourth county championship at Adelphi University on May 17. Juniors Billy Humes and David McClure both went 2-for-4 and knocked in a pair of runs for the Rocks in the final game.
East Rockaway advanced to the opening round of the state tournament where it will face the winner of a series between Pierson/Bridgehampton and Southold on Monday, June 4 at 4 p.m. at Dowling College.
Head coach Dan Vito expected his team to come up big and for Lores to pitch well in the series finale. “I really felt confident that Joey would step up and get it done in a big spot,” Vito said. “We had a lot of players contribute. Sometimes experience is overrated, but this group has played a lot of big games in three sports over the past few years. They realized it was time to shine.”
In the series opener, Humes dominated the Quakers, giving up just one earned run while striking out five in a 9-3 victory. Lores went 3-for 4 for the Rocks.
Vito handed the ball to Mark Hernandez in Game 2. The senior righthander pitched a superb game, but his effort was matched by Friends’ Matt Feinstein. The Rocks trailed 2-0 until the top of the sixth inning when Mikey Lores and McClure hot back-to-back sacrifice flies to tie the score.
After a controversial call put the leadoff batter on base for Friends in the bottom of the seventh, Feinstein drove a double to deep left to plate the winning run and force a third game.
Lores retired the Quakers in order in the first inning of the clincher, and East Rockaway (14-8) went right to work in the bottom of the inning. After back-to-back walks by Cameron Ralph and Mikey Lores, McClure singled to left center to knock home the game’s first run.
The Rocks increased their lead in the second inning when catcher Ben Giliberti doubled home Danny McClure, and put things out of reach when Humes doubled to make it 4-0 after three innings. An eight-run fifth inning put East Rockaway up 12-0.
Vito likes his team’s chances of getting off Long Island. “These guys have the right mindset when it comes to big games,” he said. “We don’t have a superstar that we lean on; it’s a different guy every time. I’m very proud of this bunch. We’re going to work hard for a couple of weeks, and make sure the guys stay sharp. I feel good going up against anyone.”
