By STEVE SINISKI
Senior center fielder Eddie Bergmann laced an 0-2 pitch down the left field line to score sophomore Kyle Berger with the series-ending run after the Jets loaded the bases with one out.
The Jets (17-6 overall) won the final two games of the series with the Bruins to advance to the semifinals against No. 2 Massapequa.
Berger led off the ninth with a line drive single under the glove of a diving Anthony Salsone at second base. Jets senior shortstop Brandon Garland executed a sacrifice bunt advancing Berger to second, followed by senior Nick LaSala's second hit of the game, a single to short left field. Designated hitter Steve Rosner was walked intentionally to load the bases before Bergmann's game-winner.
Soltan went the distance, allowing just seven hits and one walk and striking out five. The Jets defense picked off runners at third base in the second and fourth innings, and Soltan didn't allow a run until the sixth. He retired nine of the final 10 batters after Jeremy Vasquez came around to score after his two-out walk in the sixth was followed up by consecutive singles.
"He kept them off-balance by throwing some off-speed stuff," East Meadow coach Ken Sicoli said of Soltan, who routinely stayed ahead of the Bruins' hitters. "I thought he was more effective later in the game."
Perhaps the biggest plays in the game occurred at the hot corner, aptly named more for the line drives that scream down the line than any defensive plays made at the bag. But a heads-up play by LaSala in the fourth caught Vasquez straying too far off third as Bernard DeSilus attempted to steal second. During the ensuing run down, LaSala fired home to prevent Vasquez from sneaking down the line. Junior Mike Favuzzi ultimately tagged Vasquez on a throw from senior catcher James Flynn for the second out of the inning.
In the second inning, DeSilus broke for home on a missed suicide squeeze, getting tagged out by senior third baseman Matt Zerah, who left the game after a collision on the play. "We did a great job with the run downs, and that could have been a potential disaster," Sicoli said, singling out LaSala's play.
East Meadow dropped the first game of the quarterfinals, 7-4, on May 20, but bounced back to even the series last Saturday, 10-3. Flynn drove in three runs to back the pitching of junior Max Schoenfeld.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
Clarke baseball moves on to semis
Top-seeded Clarke swept No. 10 Plainedge in a best-of-three Class A baseball quarterfinal series last week and will face No. 6 North Shore in the semifinal round. John Schilt pitched a shutout, striking out 11, and drove in the only run in the Rams' 1-0 win over Plainedge last Saturday. The first game saw Schilt homer and drive in four runs to back the pitching of Brian Sundberg in an 11-3 victory last Friday.
- Tony Bellissimo
