Lynbrook opens playoffs with win

Following a successful regular season, Lynbrook baseball began the 2014 postseason on the right track last Saturday.

Lynbrook (13-7) opened the double elimination Nassau County Class A baseball tournament with a 6-3 win against seventh-seeded Mineola on the road. The Owls are fighting in their side of the bracket with Mineola, North Shore and Hewlett in hopes of reaching the semifinals next week.

“The boys played a great game today against a real quality team,” Lynbrook coach Al Marrazzo said. “It’s a huge, huge win for us.” 

Paul Papandrew, who served as Lynbrook’s closer during the regular season, made his first start on the mound and stepped up with his arm and bat. The senior captain tossed a complete game three-hitter with seven strikeouts while producing three RBIs on a home run and triple at the plate.

“Papandrew stepped up and had the game of his year,” Marrazzo said. “He did a fantastic job.” 

Papandrew set the tone early on with a first inning solo home run ripped down the left field line that put Lynbrook up 1-0. 

“That was huge just to jump out to a quick lead and get built up confidence for me and my teammates,” Papandrew said. 

Also stepping up large for Lynbrook in the playoff opener was shortstop Luke Aprile, who went 3-for-4 including a bloop RBI single to right field in the fifth inning that broke a 1-1 tie. First baseman Neil Connors also had a solid day in the batter’s box going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Lynbrook entered the playoffs coming off a third- place finish in Conference A-III behind North Shore and Floral Park.

“We played in a very tough conference,” Marrazzo said. “We had a couple tough games that could have gone either way.

To go along with Papandrew, Lynbrook has depth with its pitching paced by starters Brian Pavone, Matt Hargadon and Aprile. Pavone went 4-1 in the regular with an earned run average below 2 as the top starter.

“Our pitching depth is pretty decent,” Marrazzo said. “I feel confident with all of them.”