Late rally turns back Baldwin

Baldwin had second-seeded MacArthur right where it wanted the Generals — on the ropes – in Game 3 of a Nassau County Class AA Baseball quarterfinal series on May 20. The Bruins (10-8 overall), who shook off a blowout loss in Game 1 (11-2 on May 16), bounced back to even the series three days later (4-0) and appeared primed to pull off the stunning upset.

The bottom of the order got on base and the top of the order, led by junior Dan Capone, sophomore Travis Hylton and senior All-County honoree Nick LoBello had runs batted in to stake Baldwin to a three-run lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning of the rubber game. But then the roof caved in, as MacArthur turned three walks and a hit batsman into four runs and ultimately, a 6-4 victory to advance to the semifinals. “We should have had them,” coach Frank Esposito said of the stunning reversal from his team’s 4-1 lead. “They scored the four runs and we were flat after that. They took the wind out of our sails when they scored the four runs.”

The loss, however, shouldn’t overshadow the fact that the young Bruins--who had three sophomores in the starting lineup--put a major league scare into the first-place team in Conference AA-II that entered the series on a six-game winning streak before LoBello pitched a complete game two-hitter with six strikeouts. It’s the only time MacArthur has been blanked all season. “He wants the ball and he wants to be at the plate [batting],” Esposito said of LoBello, a two-time All-County player who played in all 128 games since joining the varsity team as an eighth-grader. “You can’t ask for more than that. Some kids don’t like the pressure, but he does.”

Capone, an All-League third baseman, drove in two runs to give LoBello all the support he needed and helped extend the season. “Nick threw strikes and the defense didn’t make any mistakes that day,” Esposito said.

The win also showed Baldwin’s mettle, as it picked itself off the mat following the nine-run loss in the series opener. “The first game of the series we weren’t playing our best, we were a little gun shy,” Esposito said. “When we woke up, they already had seven runs on the board.”

Baldwin advanced to the quarterfinals by knocking out No. 9 Kennedy, 2-1, on May 14 with LoBello providing the game-winning single that scored Hylton in the bottom of the seventh.

Senior catcher Louis Aponte capped his final season by earning All-Conference honors, while senior pitcher/right fielder Tommy Kelleher was named All-League. Hylton, the centerfielder, and junior second baseman Danny DeGregorio were named Honorable Mention All-League. “The [team] learned a lot this year,” Esposito said. “And they got to go to the playoffs and go to the quarterfinals.”