In the top of the fifth, Kavanagh and sophomore Joe Minucci hit one-out singles and advanced when Thomas walked to load the bases. The Generals made a pitching change with sophomore cleanup hitter Zach Fritz coming to the plate, and although Fritz struck out, Kavanagh broke for home and scored when the third strike went to the backstop. Fritz got the Jets on the board in the third inning when MacArthur’s right fielder dropped his booming fly to the gap, allowing junior Luis Cuello to score.

On top of scoring that run, it was Cuello who prevented them in Game 1, a 13-inning affair played over the span of two days that ended with Sicoli earning career victory No. 500. With a runner on third and no outs in the bottom of the 13th on May 14, Cuello struck out the next two batters and induced a grounder to short to end the game. Matt Laudonio homered in the top of the frame to put East Meadow (15-8 overall) ahead. Minucci pitched nine innings and allowed just two hits with nine strikeouts, and Laudonio doubled in the sixth to score Kabigting with the tying run.

“That was a strange game,” Sicoli said of the fact it was suspended one evening earlier in the 11th inning due to darkness with the teams tied 1-1. “He’s pitched like that all season and kept people off-balance.”