Oceanside posts 15-win season

A solid season on the baseball diamond for Oceanside came to a halt as the Sailors were swept last week by No. 4 Massapequa in a best-of-three Nassau Class AA quarterfinal round series.

In the second game, junior southpaw Jake Santamaria held the Chiefs scoreless into the fifth inning, but the Sailors fell 6-2. In the series opener, junior Chris Hood pitched brilliantly, but No. 5 Oceanside (15-8) couldn’t muster any offense and lost 1-0. 

First-year head coach Mike Postilio was disappointed with the outcome, but very proud of his team’s season. “The players and coaches put so much time and effort into a season, so it takes a little while to get over the season ending the way that it did,” Postilio said. “I thought we’d go a little further. I’m very proud of the way these guys represented Oceanside High School and the whole community. We had a good season, and the future looks very good for us.”

The Sailors had advanced to the quarterfinals with a 10-6 win over Long Beach on May 13. Senior Jason Weiner was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, and senior James Long struck out 10 batters over six innings to earn the win. Senior Francis Rapp added three hits and three RBI.

Long, who went 7-1 with a 0.88 earned run average, and was dominant in a 6-1 victory over Conference AA-II champion Hicksville, earned All-County honors. Long will pitch for LIU Post, next season.

Despite losing Long, the Sailors should be solid on the mound with Santamaria and Hood returning. Santamaria was 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA during the regular season, and picked up All-Conference recognition. Hood, an All-League honoree, was 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA. Another pair of juniors, righty Pat Broder and lefty Tom Pallatto, will both vie for the third slot in the rotation in 2014.

Senior catcher Brian Lau earned All-County honors, hitting .322 and knocking in 11 runs. Lau will play at Division I St Joseph’s (Pa.). Rapp and Connor Pasetti, an All-Conference honoree who had 19 hits and batted .345, will both play college ball at St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn.)

Weiner, who banged four homers and had 14 RBI, will play at Concordia. Senior center fielder Dan Lombardo hit .291 and played outstanding defense, and he’s signed on to play at SUNY-Purchase.  

The Sailors also had solid contributions from seniors Andrew Hauser, Peter Bell, and Billy Piontek. Freshman shortstop Kyle Martin, an All-League recipient, batted .378 with 17 hits and 12 RBI, and did a solid job in the middle of the infield. 

Postilio likes the direction of the program. “We’re losing a bunch of seniors who did a great job, but we have a nice bunch returning,” he said. “The guys here work real hard in the classroom and on the field. With the players we have returning, the future looks very bright.”