NB Bulldog Program Highlights
Subscribe to our NewsletterBurke Tosses First NB No-No since 2008
|
Teams |
F |
|
13 |
|
|
0 |
HIGHLIGHTS
North Babylon 13, West Babylon 0: Senior Steven Burke tossed a no-hitter, allowing one walk and striking out 12, to lead North Babylon (7-4) in League IV. Burke, who walked the leadoff batter in the first inning, threw the first no-hitter for North Babylon since 2008, said head coach Steve Corrado. "He mixed up his pitches real well and he put it all together for seven innings," Corrado said. "I'm excited for him. He has worked really hard to get to this point." Pat McCabe went 2-for-3 with a double and two and Dylan Towey went 2-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
GAME STATS
|
North Babylon |
WP |
LP |
HR |
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
West Babylon |
WP |
LP |
HR |
|
0 |
1 |
0 |
Bulldogs Takes Series from Riverhead
First-inning miscues prove costly for Riverhead as North Babylon Takes Series
By Joe Werkmeister April 25, 2013
BULLDOGS 9, BLUE WAVES 5
The blueprint for success this season for Riverhead has been built on strong pitching and defense. Behind ace Matt Crohan, the Blue Waves had given up 3.3 runs per game before Wednesday’s game against North Babylon.
For the first time on the season, the wheels came off for the Blue Waves as North Babylon’s offense pounded out 23 hits and a bevy of errors cost them in a sloppy 19-10 loss. The beauty of baseball, though, is the slate is always cleaned the next day.
When the Blue Waves returned to their home field Thursday for the final game of the series, they hoped to put Wednesday’s game behind them.
Only the mistakes piled up again.
A two-error inning put the Blue Waves behind 3-0, and while they fought back, the Bulldogs pulled away in the seventh to win 9-5 and take two of three in the series.
“It just transferred over to today,” said Riverhead coach Scott Hackal, who replaced coach Rob Maccone in the second inning following an ejection. “It got better, but it’s hard when you’re playing like that. You lose all your confidence because we were playing good defense.”
As rough as things were at the start, the Blue Waves were still within a run heading to the seventh inning, with their 2-3-4 hitters due up in the bottom half.
But the Bulldogs (6-9 League IV) piled on four runs in the inning, capped by a two-run double to right-center by Kenny Fils-Aime, who was gunned down trying to stretch it into a triple.
“If we could have gotten out of there, I think we would have had a good chance,” Hackal said. “We had a little momentum going.”
The Blue Waves did punch a run across in the seventh when Crohan doubled to left field with two out. But that was as far as the rally went.
The Blue Waves got a strong game on the mound from Ryan Gaffney. The left-hander made his first start of the season after the Blue Waves’ usual No. 3 starter, John Wendt, sprained his ankle during Wednesday’s game.
“It threw a wrench into everything,” Hackal said.
Gaffney pitched into the seventh and was replaced after giving up a leadoff double. Joe Napoli relieved Gaffney for the final three outs. Two out of the outs came at third base.
Joe Baker, the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher, laid down a bunt on a suicide squeeze that brought in a run and made it 6-4. The runner on second got caught coming around third, and tried to scramble back but could not.
Hackal said Gaffney threw a “great game.”
“He gave us a chance to win,” he said. “If that didn’t happen in the first inning, it may be a different story.”
The Blue Waves (7-7, 6-6 League IV) scored twice in the third to get back into the game. Josh Brewster singled to center with two out and the ball got past the North Babylon center fielder for a two-base error. That allowed both runs to score easily and Brewster advanced to third.
The Bulldogs added two runs in the fifth before the Blue Waves answered with a pair of their own in the bottom half. The Blue Waves benefitted from another North Babylon error in the inning. Brewster (2-for-3 with a walk) singled in a run that made it 5-3. Crohan (2-for-3 with a HBP) doubled to left to bring in another run.
Brewster and Crohan were the only Blue Waves with a multi-hit game.
In the second inning Gaffney nearly picked off a base runner who took off from first. But on the throw down to second from Brewster at first, the ball popped out of shortstop Jesse Patriss’ glove as he swung his hand up after the tag. The field umpire ruled the runner safe and Maccone came out of the dugout to argue that the drop came on the exchange from the glove to the hand.
Maccone took exception to a comment the umpire made about the Riverhead player not being able to catch the ball. Maccone was trying to back his players, but the escalating argument ended with an ejection.
Maccone would have to sit out the team’s next game per Section XI rules. He may look to appeal, however, Hackal said.
The Blue Waves will look to bounce back beginning Tuesday with the start of a series against Newfield. The Blue Waves need to win four of their final six games to make the playoffs.
Bulldogs Get First Win of 2012
North Babylon uses five-run first to beat Riverhead
By Michael Lewis | 04/10/2012
JOHN NEELY PHOTO |
BULLDOGS 12, BLUE WAVES 6
Senior first baseman Joe Stamm slammed a pair of home runs to help key North Babylon’s 12-6 win over visiting Riverhead in a baseball game on Tuesday morning.
Blue Waves coach Rob Maccone certainly could live with that.
What he could not accept was the free passes that the Bulldogs got, which helped the hosts grab a 5-0 first-inning lead in the Suffolk County League IV contest.
“Got to throw strikes, got to make them hit it,” he said. “I know this park is small. Still, let them hit it. That kid who hit two home runs, good for him. At least we let him hit it. You can’t get him out if you walk him.”
Coupled with 12 runners they left on base, the Blue Waves (3-3) could never recover and get back into the game against the Bulldogs (1-5).
“We left too many guys on base,” Maccone said. “We hit the ball decently. We left the bases loaded once, second and third once, and first and third in the seventh. You can’t win when you leave guys on base.”
Center fielder Matt Crohan, who turned out to be one of Riverhead’s bright spots — he was on base five times on three hits, a walk and a forceout, and scored twice — agreed.
“We’ve got to throw strikes,” he said. “If we throw strikes, we can field.
“Things just didn’t go our way today. We just got to hit the ball, put the ball in play. If we put the ball in play, kids will make mistakes. We’re all high school kids. Things happen.”
Things happened for North Babylon as the first inning set the game’s tone.
Crohan, who was left on base three times, was stranded at second in the top of the frame.
In the bottom of the inning, Mike Hinchy walkded leadoff hitter Kenny Fils-Aime, who reached second base when catcher Kyle Trypuc’s pick-off attempt sailed over first baseman Tyler Carroll. Charlie O’Neill was hit by a pitch and Dan Gambardella loaded the bases on an infield single. Winning pitcher Carmine Vricciariello was hit by a pitch to force in the first run. Stramm’s sacrifice fly drove in another, followed by Tyler Schmitt’s run-scoring double and Mike Amandola’s two-run single.
“We didn’t pitch today,” Maccone said. “Mike Hinchy has been very good for us. He had a long layover. When you play five games in five days and you do the second game of the season, he couldn’t come back for the fifth game. So he hasn’t thrown over a week and a half. That’s tough for him.”
On the flip side, North Babylon coach Steve Corrado was delighted that his team showed some patience. “You know what? They were a little more selective in what they were swinging at today,” he said. “They didn’t chase any bad balls.” The win was the first for Corrado’s Bulldogs in the early season.
The Blue Waves scored only once in the next inning — on third baseman John Wendt’s single — as the visitors left the bases loaded in the second inning.
“When you’re struggling and things are going wrong and one bad thing happens, it seems to pile on,” Corrado said. “When you have a positive inning and you come back and get out of the next inning with a lead, it just helps build up positive feelings.”
Stamm delivered his lethal blows in back-to-back innings. He clubbed a solo shot to right-center field off the scoreboard to extend the lead to 6-1 in the third and clobbered a three-run shot to left for a commanding 10-1 advantage in the fourth.
Corrado, who inherited an inexperienced team that did not return one starter, admitted he was learning what each player can bring to the team.
“We only have 40 at-bats of experience coming back, so we’re all learning each other,” he said. “[Stamm] supposedly is one of our big hitters and he showed today why he is.”
Corrado, in his first season with the team, was happy to put one in the win column.
“It feels good because the kids are working really hard,” he said. “When you win, it feels like the hard work is paying off.”
The Blue Waves will get two more shots at the Bulldogs. They will host them Thursday before completing the three-game series at North Babylon on Friday.
“We’re just going to come out and hopefully win the series,” Crohan said. “That’s what our goal is: one game at a time, get 11 wins and make the playoffs.”
Bulldogs Team of Destiny in 2009
North Babylon has a "team of destiny" feel
After North Babylon's 3-2 victory at Longwood in the Class AA winners' bracket final yesterday, there was plenty of jubilation, and rightly so after a three-run rally in the top of the seventh. But there was also a sense that this team was destined to win — a confidence that could only come with four straight come-from-behind road upsets in the playoffs.
"The whole team's hot," said Jon Cotter, the eighth-place hitter in the lineup who stroked the game-winning single after his error in left field gave Longwood a 2-0 lead in the fifth (he also grounded into a 5-4-3 double play). "There was no way we were getting shut out."
The Bulldogs certainly have that winning feeling. After finishing the League IV season 13-5 (second place, four games behind Smithtown West), North Babylon has reeled off improbable postseason victories over No. 8 Patchogue-Medford (which plays Longwood in the losers' bracket final today) 4-2, top-seeded Connetquot 6-1, Smithtown West 10-7, and now Longwood.
Kyle Olsen (pictured below) has been the star. He has two victories in the playoffs, allowing just three runs (two earned) in 14 innings with 14 strikeouts (including 11 yesterday). He's also hit two homers, and was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles yesterday.
Olsen got stronger as yesterday's game progressed, as he struck out the side in the fifth and fanned two each in the sixth and seventh, including the last two batters of the game.
North Babylon coach Jim Mango couldn't hide his praise after the game.
"I haven't seen a better player in the county this year. He's a man in an 18-year-old's body. He's been our horse all year."
The humble righty wouldn't say he is in the elite class in the county, but said of yesterday's performance: "After the fourth inning, I felt good. I just kept throwing strikes and taking it one out at a time. The adrenaline was pumping."
This afternoon Longwood will send Jimmy Knudsen to the hill. He will likely face Pat-Med's Junior Mendez. Longwood and Pat-Med finished the regular season with identical 11-7 League I records, but Longwood took 2-of-3 from the Raiders at the end of March. Said Longwood coach Jim Davide: "We know them very well, they're right down the road."
But back to the Bulldogs, who are seeking the program's first county title. They'll rest up for Saturday when they will host the Class AA final at 11 a.m. Mango said Mike Pinnola, who got the win against Pat-Med and Smithtown West, will likely pitch that game. If North Bab loses Saturday, either Pat-Med or Longwood (each is a higher seed than the Bulldogs) will host the deciding game Monday at 4 p.m.
Oh, and as for Cotter's misplay in left field, here's what Mango had to say about that after the game: "That might be the only miscue he's made this year. The one thing I'll say is, we're North Babylon, our kids never give up. We've got resilient kids, who are tough as nails and give 100 percent all the time."
(Photo by Joseph D. Sullivan / May 27, 2009)
Bulldogs Clinch First County Title Since 1964
Baseball: Bulldogs find a way again
Down three in ninth, North Babylon rallies past Longwood
BY JOE WERKMEISTER | SPORTS EDITOR
|
The Class AA county championship game between Longwood and North Babylon featured everything a championship game should: clutch pitching, great defense, home runs, extra innings and comebacks.
Only the Lions could have done without the last part.
After rallying for three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 5-2 lead, the Lions couldn't hang on as the Bulldogs rallied right back with three of their own before winning it in the 10th inning, 6-5.
Their backs against the wall seems to be exactly where the Bulldogs like it. In consecutive games they were three outs away from a loss and facing a multiple run deficit against Longwood. Both times they surged back to win it.
It's been a familiar theme for the Bulldogs, who have rallied from behind in all five playoff wins en route to the school's first county championship.
"After the game I had talked to a couple faculty members at Longwood and a couple parents and everyone had the same consensus that it was one of the best baseball games at any level that they've ever seen," said Longwood coach John Davide.
The more North Babylon wins the more the word destiny gets tossed around and it's easy to see why. The Lions, seeded sixth in the tournament, were a handful of plays away from winning both games against the Bulldogs. A win Saturday and the series would have shifted back to Longwood for a deciding game Monday.
It wasn't necessary when Kevin Primm singled in the 10th with two outs to score Anthony Repetto with the championship-winning run.
"They're just on a roll," Davide said. "It's almost like they're destined to not lose."
It was the first game of the playoffs for North Babylon on its home field. The Bulldogs earned it by beating Longwood a week ago, 3-2, with three runs in the seventh inning to come back from a 2-0 hole.
The championship looked destined for another game when the Lions put three on the board in the ninth inning. J.J. Bessell walked with one out to start it and Kris Kelly doubled to left field to put runners on second and third. North Babylon pulled pitcher Mike Pinnola after 131 pitches and brought in Repetto. A wild pitch on his second throw allowed Bessell to score, giving the Lions a 3-2 lead. After Anthony Guidice struck out, Danny Parisi followed with a two-run shot to left field to make it 5-2.
"Getting three in that inning I thought we had a great shot and we'd be coming back to Longwood to finish it off," Davide said.
Two defensive mistakes in the bottom of the ninth gave North Babylon extra life and the Bulldogs capitalized.
"If you give good teams opportunities to score they're going to capitalize and of course they did," he said.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the inning on outs when Ciwan McCoy brought in Kyle Olsen with a fielder's choice to make it 5-4. Tom Pinnola tied it with a sacrifice fly to score Primm.
The Lions got a tremendous all-around effort from senior Kyle Weeks, who pitched the first seven innings and hit a solo home run in the sixth inning that put the Lions ahead 2-1.
Weeks gave up two runs on five hits and walked seven, two of which were intentional.
Pinnola gave up four runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts and five walks. Repetto earned the win and Jimmy Knudsen, who entered in the ninth for Longwood, took the loss. Mike Lauro pitched a scoreless eighth for the Lions in relief of Weeks.
North Babylon went ahead 1-0 in the second on a home run to center field by Primm. The Lions tied it in the third on a sacrifice fly by Nick Leggio that scored Bessell. After the Lions went ahead 2-1 on Weeks' homer the Bulldogs tied it in the sixth when Primm grounded out to second to score Olsen from third.
The Lions figure to be back in the thick of things next year with all but five players returning. In Saturday's game the Lions had only two seniors in the starting lineup. And the top two pitchers from League I, Steven Matz of Ward Melville and Marcus Stroman of Patchogue-Medford, are both graduating.
Cotter's Clutch Hit Helps Lead Bulldogs to 2009 Title
Cotter caps N. Babylon's rally over Longwood
Published: May 27, 2009 3:13 PM
By CHRIS MASCARO chris.mascaro@newsday.com
Jon Cotter's redemption was served with a flare to centerfield after the faintest of tings off his aluminum bat Wednesday. The two-out, RBI bloop single in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the game-winning hit in No. 9 North Babylon's fourth straight come-from-behind road victory in the playoffs. The Bulldogs scored three runs in their last turn at-bat to clinch a 3-2 win at No. 6 Longwood, and a spot in the Class AA final.
Cotter went from goat to hero in just an inning and a half. With two outs in the home half of the fifth, Cotter overran a fly ball to left. His recovery attempt was in vain, as the ball popped off the heel of his glove, scoring pinch runner Steven Fitzpatrick to put Longwood ahead 2-0.
"I'm thinking I just lost the game," said Cotter, whose natural position is catcher, but who was moved to the outfield midway through the season. "It was the worst feeling of my life followed by the best feeling of my life."
In the seventh, Mike Pinnola narrowly missed a home run when he ripped a double off the fence in left to put runners on second and third for Ciwan McCoy, who lined a double to right to tie the game at 2.
"Top of the world," McCoy said of the feeling he had standing on third base (the rightfielder bobbled the ball, allowing him to advance). "We just had to buckle down."
After a groundout, Cotter got a good enough piece of a 2-and-0 pitch to score McCoy and give the Bulldogs the lead for good. "I put a bad swing on it," Cotter said. "But it got out there."
North Babylon (18-7) had just three hits - two by Kyle Olsen - before the seventh. Brandon McClain kept the Bulldogs off balance by changing speeds, but he pitched to contact - he had no strikeouts despite tossing a complete game - and it hurt him at the worst possible time. "It caught up to him in the seventh," Longwood coach John Davide said.
Longwood (18-8), which will host No. 8 Patchogue-Medford in the losers' bracket final this afternoon, pieced together the game's first run off the hard-throwing Olsen on a double by Kyle Weeks and Jonathon Beekman's sacrifice fly in the fourth.
But Olsen (11 strikeouts) bore down as the game wore on, and struck out five of the last seven hitters to close the door. Said North Babylon coach Jim Mango of Olsen: "He's a man in an 18-year-old's body. He's been our horse all year."
Lynch Tosses 2-Hit Gem in Playoffs
|
A year later, Lynch gets shot to pitch a winner | ||
|
| ||
|
| ||
| (Copyright Newsday Inc., 2005) Ryan Lynch never got the chance to pitch in the playoffs last year. His scheduled start was pre-empted by a 1-0 loss to Smithtown, the eventual Suffolk Class AA champions, thus eliminating North Babylon from the tournament. That missed opportunity stayed with Lynch all year. "I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to the playoffs," Lynch said. "It's all I wanted this year. I wanted my one shot." Lynch got his shot yesterday and he made the most of it. The senior righthander fired a brilliant two-hitter as No. 10 North Babylon edged No. 7 Ward Melville, 2-1, in the first round of the Suffolk Class AA tournament at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank. Lynch was so good that he threw no-hit ball over the final 5 2/ 3. He walked two and struck out three in the 82-pitch gem. North Babylon coach Jim Mango made sure Lynch would be slated to pitch in this year's playoffs. Lynch, who usually throws on Fridays, was bumped back to Wednesday last week, making him available for yesterday's first round. "He was excited and very focused," Mango said. "It's the best game I've seen him pitch. His location was excellent and we played great defense." Lynch's final fastball was lifted to right-centerfield and at the last moment, centerfielder John Carrick called off rightfielder Erik Walter to make the running catch. It is that kind of defense that has enabled North Babylon to reel off seven straight wins. "He was a bulldog out there, no pun intended," Mango laughed. "He's a great athlete. He was our quarterback and an excellent basketball player. I knew he'd give us a winning effort." Ward Melville (14-8-1) opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when Neil Haglund doubled to left-centerfield to score Mike Salvemini for the 1-0 lead. North Babylon came right back in the top of the third inning. With two outs and runners at first and second, Mike Amendola and Walter hit back-to-back run-scoring singles for a 2-1 lead. Salvemini, the Ward Melville third baseman, made a diving stop of Amendola's two-out grounder down the line but Amendola just beat a strong one-hop throw allowing John Carrick to score from third base. It was all Lynch and the Bulldogs defense would need. Amendola, the catcher, threw out two runners trying to steal. "We've made two errors in the past seven games," Mango said. "Solid pitching and great defense is a combo for winning." |
North Babylon Rebounds to Defeat West Islip
Long Island's Ultimate Athlete
| |
NORTH BABYLON BASEBALL
REBOUNDS vs. W.I.
Baseball Game Coverage
by Andrew Scharff
April 17, 2008
After Tuesday's 13-0 loss to West Islip at home, North Babylon head coach Jim Mango stressed to his young team that it was just one loss and reminded them that they can easily make up for it.
That is exactly what his team did. North Babylon showed no ill-effects or loss of confidence when they stepped back on the field Wednesday afternoon at West Islip to face the Lions for the second game of three game series.
"They refocused, they rededicated themselves for today," said Mango. "We got off to a good start scoring 11 runs and we just worked from there."
As a matter a fact Mango's team responded with opening the game with an 11-run first inning, which propelled the Bulldogs to 15-9 win. With the win North Babylon moves back into first place with a 7-1 conference record and an 8-1 overall record. The win also guarantees the Bulldogs at least first place tie when the three game series concludes Friday afternoon at North Babylon High School.
"Tremendous," added Mango about the way they started the game. "I have a very young team, just one senior out in the field. It was very important that we didn't get down four or five nothing early. It was important that we jumped out to an early lead."
Senior Danny Vignola started for the Lions and struggled mightily. Vignola, who only lasted seven batters, allowed four walks, two singles and the only out he recorded was when he retired Dan Muller, who laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt which followed Lou Galioto's single to leadoff the game.
After walking in two runs Vignola was pulled in favor of junior Joe Gallucci. Gallucci did not execute much better as the first four batters he faced got on base via two walks and two singles. But it was not until the Lions were down 8-0 when the dagger came down. Catcher Kevin Primm (4-for-4 and three runs scored) hit a long triple to centerfield which brought home three runs.
"I expected us to come in and play a little better than we did today. Our pitching set us back, obviously letting up 11 runs," West Islip coach Steve Mileti said. "It's the not way you want to start a game. But kudos to my players they tried to chip away at their lead and they never gave up."
West Islip (6-2) did respond in their half of the first. The Lions sent nine men to plate as they scored five runs and they took advantage some spotty North Babylon fielding.
North Babylon added four runs in the fifth courtesy of two singles, a triple and two-run homer from first baseman Ciwan McCoy.
With the 11-run first inning and the 4-run fifth North Babylon had, it enabled Mango (who used three pitchers in Tuesday's loss) not to dip into his bullpen. Besides the tough first inning, starter Kyle Olsen pitched a strong game. Although Olsen did give West Islip opportunities to get back in the game, he always managed to get out of danger.
With West Islip down 15-7, the Lions had runners on first and second with one out and Kyle Gelling at the plate. Gelling lined a first pitch fastball right up the middle. Looking like run scoring single, Olsen stuck his glove out and pulled it out of the air to retire Gelling, then he threw to first to double off Vignola and end the inning.
The Lions also got Olsen in the seventh as he allowed hits to first four batters. After Vignola doubled home third baseman Nick Tropeano, Mango lifted Olsen and brought in Mike Pinnola to close out the game. Pinnola retired the only three batters he faced to earn the save.
"[Olsen] struggled early and the defense didn't give him much help. He showed some backbone and he had a big game for us," said Grimm about Olsen's effort.
These two teams will meet for the rubber game of the three game series on Friday. Lou Galioto will pitch for North Babylon, while Tom Moran will get the ball for the Lions
Louis Galioto Tosses 8 Inning No-Hitter
NB Junior Pitches No-Hitter
|
Louis Galioto, a junior at North Babylon High School and an All-League athlete, pitched an eight inning no-hitter against Newfield in a 1-0 win last month. The no hitter was the first at North Babylon since Joe Tortorello accomplished the feat March 30, 1989.
Galioto walked 4 and struck out 7 in his first start on the mound for the season. Galioto had notched a 5 out save four days earlier. Danny Muller scored the games lone run in the bottom of the eighth inning for the Bulldogs. Two days later, Junior Kyle Olsen, improved to a 3-0 on the young season with a complete game six-hitter against Centereach in a 5-0 victory. Olsen struck out 9 Cougars.
North Babylon Defeats East Islip to Stay Unbeaten
North Babylon Beats East Islip
Apr 11, 1989
By Joe Krupinski
East Islip 000 000 2 2 9 2
North Babylon 110 001 x 3 7 1
WP - Tortorello. LP - Dryswak.
North Babylon's undefeated baseball players celebrated the final out by rushing excitedly to the mound and hugging one another, forgetting for the moment that shortstop Joe Cilento is still getting over the chicken pox that kept him out of the lineup last week.
Cilento made a triumphant return as North Babylon beat four-time defending league champion and 1988 county finalist East Islip, 3-2, in a League III game yesterday. The victory gave sole possession of first place to the Bulldogs (3-0, 5-0 overall), whose best finish in the past six years was fourth place in 1986. East Islip (2-1, 3-3), meanwhile, has won the league title seven of the last eight seasons.
"It's still early, but this could be our year if we keep up the attitude we had today," North Babylon co-captain and second baseman Joe Fitzgerald said. "This was a big game for us."
North Babylon took a 2-0 lead after its leadoff batter drew a base on balls and stole second in each of the first two innings. "We went right after them," Fitzgerald said.
Cilento already was on second base in the first inning when the second batter, pitcher Joe Tortorello, singled and catcher Chris Yearwood hit a sacrifice fly. "We couldn't wait until we got him back," coach Tom McCormack said of Cilento. "He batted 5-for-7 in our first two games. And you should have seen the 425-foot home run he hit in his first at-bat of the season."
George Rhein followed the script in the second inning, walking and then stealing second as Joe Lore struck out. When catcher Chris Baker's throw went into centerfield and got by centerfielder Joe Taormina, Rhein continued around the bases to score.
Cilento provided what turned out to be the winning run in the sixth inning, walloping a two-out triple over leftfielder Jude Hodgens' head to score Pete Chapin, who had singled to right.
Meanwhile, East Islip was held scoreless for six innings. Tortorello - who had pitched a non-league no-hitter against West Islip - kept the Redmen off balance with pop-ups and grounders, and the defense behind him was outstanding.
"They made the plays on defense and we didn't," said East Islip coach Sal Ciampi, who has had two county champions and one state champion in 16 seasons. "That was the difference."
North Babylon squelched threats in the fifth and sixth innings with double plays. In both cases, Fitzgerald fielded the grounders, with Cilento covering second and firing to first baseman Lore, who made spectacular stretches to complete the plays.
"I feel very secure with those guys behind me," Tortorello said. "They always make big plays when they have to."
East Islip finally scored in the seventh inning on singles by Steve Maltagliati, Kip Roggendorf and Anthony Graffagnino (his third of the game).
But with runners at first and third and two outs, Tortorello induced a foul pop-up behind first base, prompting the celebratory huddle - with Cilento right in the middle of it.
Joe Tortorello Tosses No-Hitter
March 30,1989
In non-league games: North Babylon Senior Joe Tortorello pitched a no-hitter in his first start of the season and was backed by a three-run first inning as North Babylon defeated West Islip, 3-0. Tortorello struck out four and walked five. Joe Cilento (2-for-3) led off the game with a single, advanced to second on a walk and scored the winning run on Joe Fitzgerald's single.
West Islip 000 000 0 0 0 1
North Babylon 300 000 x 3 5 2
