North Shore responds with two wins

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After a tough 10-0 loss to Valley Stream South in last week’s Conference A-IV baseball series opener, North Shore regrouped and rallied around it’s strong pitching to take the last two games of the three-game set 10-3 and 4-2 respectively.

On April 12, the Vikings were entering the middle game of the series, and coach Scott Lineman handed sophomore David Aufiero the ball for the start. After a rough first inning where he threw 22 pitches, allowing a two-run home run and then a solo shot, Aufiero truly settled down and stayed composed, only throwing 46 pitches the next four innings. After allowing three earned runs in the first inning, he went on to pitch five scoreless frames totaling six strikeouts.

“Once (Aufiero) settled down and got his off speed pitches across for a strike, he was able to keep them off balance the rest of the game,” Lineman said.

The stellar pitching from Aufiero ignited a spark in the offense, and there were many contributors of note.

Kenny Belanger, one of only two seniors on a young but talented North Shore (3-3 in A-IV, 5-3 overall) squad, went 3-for-3 with two singles, a double, 3 RBI, and a stolen base. Lineman stressed that Belanger’s leadership role as a hard-working senior on this squad is of the utmost importance.

“Kenny works so hard and he is a real leader. He showed that today,” Lineman said. The coach also went on to discuss how Belanger energizes his team through his role as a motivator on the field both at practice and during games.

The Vikings were extremely smart on the base paths, and continue to sprinkle in some small ball aspects like they’ve used in years past. Sean Hehn (3-for-3) laid down a sac bunt with no outs in the bottom of the second inning where North Shore scored four runs. Michael Tedesco (2-for-2 with 2 RBIs) also was a big part of the Vikings offense, driving in a pair of runs while having two more come across during an error on a ball that he hit in play that. Matt Lewin was also very effective in the leadoff role, as an aggressor on the base paths where he scored two runs.

Jake Walton, who played stellar defensively at shortstop, came in to shut the game out, pitching a quick final inning for Lineman’s crew. Three outs later, North Shore had tied the series at one a piece. When asked after the game regarding what the focus was going into the series finale, Lineman said. “We’ll be competing for this series in the third game. We need to take this series to help us compete for the playoffs. We’ve got to keep getting better, and keep the confidence up. But it was great to get the win today.”

A day later, North Shore indeed sealed the series with a 4-2 victory over the Falcons thanks a solid complete game thrown by Danny Livoti.

The Vikings look to continue their well-rounded attack against Valley Stream North in the next series.