By TONY BELLISSIMO
The win was No. 400 for Lombardo, who entered the season three shy of the plateau. Junior Fred Weinstein pitched a complete-game six-hitter and struck out seven, and seniors Lucas Klirsfeld and Eric Carrasquillo each drove in a pair of runs.
“It takes a long time to get to 400 and it makes me feel old,” said Lombardo, who began coaching the team in 1974. “It’s a nice accomplishment, but I’m not the only one responsible. The kids deserve a lot of credit. Every team I’ve had has worked hard.”
Lombardo’s longtime assistant coach, Bill DeFilippis, started a countdown to 400 prior to last season after a conversation led them to realize it was within reach. “We did some math and learned I was at 383,” Lombardo said. “So Bill made a chart and started to keep track. We won 14 last year, leaving three to go.”
Long Beach’s first win this spring came in the conference opener April 7 at Hempstead, when senior Kyle Kempinski struck out 11 in an 8-1 decision. After a five-day layoff, Kempinski was back on the mound again and led the Marines to a 12-2 victory at Elmont. He allowed just two hits, and senior Michael Raddock provided offensive support by going 3 for 4 and driving in two runs. Back-to-back losses to Valley Stream Central followed, but Lombardo’s third crack at 400 was a charm.
“We’ve always been in strong conferences over the years,” he said. “I never went into a series thinking we had three wins upcoming. We’ve always had to plug away and earn every win.”
Lombardo’s first coaching victory came four games into his inaugural season, and he remembers it well. “We beat Hempstead, my alma mater, after three straight losses to South Side,” he said. “It’s hard to believe it was 35 years ago.”
The Marines have captured three conference titles under Lombardo, including back-to-back first-place finishes in 1990-91, and they have been to the playoffs 22 times in 36 years. The 1990 team reached the Nassau Class A championship series, which it lost in three games to Farmingdale. “As far as the record, we’ve had some big years and some years that weren’t so successful,” said Lombardo, a phys. ed. teacher at the high school. “But every year is great because of the kids I get to work with.”
Last week was one of the busiest Lombardo has experienced in all his years of coaching. Long Beach played five games in six days, winning three to improve to 4-2 in Conference AA-III. “It was a lot to ask of the kids, especially the pitchers,” he said. “Toward the end of the week it was every arm on deck.”
In the race to the playoffs, the Marines have two-game series with Uniondale, Freeport, Great Neck South and Port Washington remaining. But even if they don’t reach the postseason, the May 5 finale against Port Washington won’t be Lombardo’s last. “I’ve got at least one more season,” he said. “It’s not a decision I have to make right now. I’m not thinking beyond 2010.”
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
