Well-rounded Carey wins conference

Senior Jake Safuto’s two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a tie and propelled Carey to a 3-1 victory over Garden City on May 10, giving the Seahawks the Conference A-I baseball title and the top seed in the Nassau Class A playoffs.

“We usually talk about just one game at a time, but in this case we addressed the situation before the Garden City series,” Carey coach Mike Farina said. “The kids knew we needed to win two. Judging by their reaction, they’re happy but gave the impression there’s more ahead. It’s one goal checked off the list.”

Senior pitcher Tim Cassese won his fourth consecutive start and sixth overall, tying him for the county lead, while lowering his ERA to 2.08. He scattered seven hits and three walks over six innings and struck out five. “Tim worked really hard during the offseason and is having a great year,” Farina said. “He’s been able to get big outs whenever he’s needed to.”

 Cassese, who tossed a no-hitter at Manhasset on April 26, escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam against the Trojans in the fourth. Senior first baseman Anthony Catapano, a dangerous hitter who’s drawn 15 walks and ranks among the team leaders in average and RBIs, picked up the save with a perfect seventh inning of relief.

“We’ve been giving Anthony some relief work and slowly stretching him out,” Farina said of Catapano, who during the regular season batted .466 with six homers and 26 RBIs. 

As a staff, the Seahawks (15-3 in A-I) allowed only six runs over the final eight regular-season games with three shutouts and a one-hit defeat. “Most people have been talking about our offense, but our pitching and defense is also very strong,” Farina said. “We’ve got seven or eight guys we trust on the mound.”

Senior C.J. Buchanan has been nothing short of lights-out on the bump, compiling a 5-1 mark with a staggering 0.60 ERA. He’s walked only seven batters all spring and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Kennedy on May 7 before suffering his lone loss on Jason Couls’ walk-off homer. “He’s had an unbelievable year,” Farina said of Buchanan, who didn’t allow any runs in wins over Great Neck North and Manhasset.

Sophomore Dom Rutigliano didn’t begin the season as part of the rotation but replaced injured senior Dan Conte in the first inning against Manhasset on April 25 and earned his first of three straight decisions after Carey rallied from six runs down to win 7-6. Rutigliano beat Kennedy and Garden City in two regular-season starts, allowing just one run in the process. “We knew what we had in Dom in early April when we had him throw live against our lineup,” Farina said.

Though the pitchers haven’t needed a ton of support, the Seahawks boast plenty of firepower. Senior shortstop Mike Catanese is raking at a .492 clip, senior catcher T.J. Toscano is hitting .357 with 23 RBIs, senior Joe Filardo has knocked in 23 runs, senior Kyle Capoziello’s batting .360, and sophomore third baseman Shane Pinto’s at .350.