Lynbrook advances in baseball playoffs

It took a full nine innings, two more than usual, but Lynbrook defeated North Shore, 4-0, in the first round of the Class A baseball playoffs last Saturday. Senior Andrew Marks’ RBI single in the top of the ninth snapped a scoreless tie, highlighting a four-run outburst by the Owls on a day when pitching and defense dominated.

Senior Will Norris started for Lynbrook and held North Shore in check into the sixth before yielding to junior Alex Weingarten, who earned his fifth win when the Owls broke through in extra innings.

During the late innings of the game, which lasted about as long as your typical Yankees-Red Sox tilt, Owls fans situated behind the right-field fence encouraged their players with a rendition of the old Bee Gee’s hit, “Stayin’ Alive.” It was a fitting tribute, because with the hard-fought win the 12th-seeded Owls indeed managed to stay alive in these playoffs.

They went on to upset No. 5 Glen Cove in the second round last Monday, 9-7, after splitting a pair of games against the Big Red in April on their way to an 11-8 regular season. Marks had four hits and scored three times.

Norris started the playoff opener on just three days’ rest because Weingarten had been ailing earlier in the week with the flu, and Lynbrook coach Al Marrazzo was unsure how much either pitcher would be able to give. Norris labored through 81 pitches – “He was going on guts,” according to Marrazzo – and escaped a couple of early jams unscathed, thanks in part to stellar defense. The Vikings had two on with nobody out in the fourth when junior catcher Brian Bilello pounced on a bunt and forced the lead runner at third. The following hitter flew deep to center, deep enough to score the run had the bunt been successful. In the fifth, senior shortstop Vin Sharkey snared a line drive on the short hop with the go-ahead run on second and fired to a stretching Dan Grossi at first. After each fielding gem, the Lynbrook faithful took to singing. District superintendent Santo Barbarino and athletics director Tom Graham were among those on hand.

“It meant a lot to me and it meant a lot to the kids,” Marrazzo said of the fan support.

Norris seemed to reach his breaking point with one out in the sixth, walking a pair. In came Weingarten, who struck out the next two batters. He cruised through the seventh and escaped a bases-loaded situation in the eighth when Sharkey made another fine play. 

Meanwhile, the Owls had the bases loaded in the seventh but were turned away. With Bilello breaking from first in the eighth, senior Spencer Kirsch hit a liner to right-center only to have it caught on an all-out dive. 

Junior Michael Milillo was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth. After he was sacrificed to second, senior Jack Pender’s infield single set up a first-and-third. Marks connected on the first pitch he saw, lining a single that scored Milillo and kept the Owls alive.

Lynbrook was to begin a three-game series against No. 3 Island Trees on Wednesday.