Schools
Cyclones Offense Explodes in 16-4 Win Over Hewlett
Louis Matarazzo and Dylan Leary combine to go 6-for-7 with 9 RBIs and two HRs.
The South Side Cyclones exploded for eight runs in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game against Hewlett at Barasch Field, putting the cap on a 16-4 win and in the process, sealing the Conference A-II title.
Even if Division wins today and South Side loses to Hewlett in the final game of the series, the Cyclones own the tie breaker over the Blue Dragons. This is the first conference title for South Side baseball since 2008.
The Cyclones jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the second inning against Bulldogs starter sophomore Luciano Morello. Louis Matarazzo (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) smashed a 390-foot solo homerun over the left centerfield wall to make it 1-0, and after Andrew Talbot reached on an error, Dylan Leary (3-for-3, 5 RBIs) launched a two-run jack over the left field wall to give South Side a 3-0 lead.
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Down 4-0 in the fourth, the Bulldogs finally got to South Side starter Evan Singer. George Josiah (2-for-3, RBI) laced an RBI single to cut the Cyclones lead to 4-1. An RBI sac fly by Hewlett's left fielder Pasculli and an RBI single by Ross Kleinrock (2-for-4, RBI, K) sliced South Side's lead to one.
That's as close as Hewlett would get. Head coach Andy DeBernardo said that though his team hit on Tuesday, they didn't get the clutch hit when they needed it. "We hit," he said of the positives he saw from his team. "Unfortunately, we didn't get the big hit. We left the bases loaded in the second."
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South Side rattled off four more runs in the fourth with an RBI fielder's choice from Joe Geraci, a two-RBI double from Matt Sollin (1-for-3, 2 RBIs) and an RBI single from James Howard (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) to increase its lead to 8-3.
"We came out a little flat, but we got a little energy from the power early," South Side head coach Keith Lessuk said. "We didnt get the timely hits early, but our resiliency helped us finish this out."
South Side batted around in the sixth inning, scoring eight times capped by a three-run double by Leary to extend the lead to 16-4.
The playoffs start Saturday, but South Side won't know who they'll face until Thursday.
BOX SCORE
AB H RBI BB K RS Thomas Kane 2 0 0 1 0 1 Joe Geraci 4 1 1 0 0 2 Matt Sollin 3 1 2 1 1 2 James Howard 4 2 2 0 0 1 Lou Matarazzo 4 3 4 0 0 2 Andrew Talbot 3 0 0 0 0 2 Casey Cameron 4 2 0 0 0 1 Dylan Leary 3 3 5 0 0 3 David Hawley 1 0 0 3 1 2 Cyclones IP H R ER BB SO NP E. Singer 5 9 3 3 2 6 91 Matarazzo 2 2 1 1 0 4 22WP: E. Singer
LP: L. Morello
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