Thursday, October 1, 2026
There are so many ways Massapequa’s baseball team can win a game and the Chiefs put their versatility on display throughout the Nassau Class AAA playoffs to capture an eighth county title in 10 years.
A crucial Port Washington error opened the door to a four-run top of the third inning Friday night as top-seeded Massapequa completed a championship series sweep of the fifth-seeded Vikings with a 5-3 victory at Farmingdale State College.
Senior John Neary continued his clutch hitting from the No. 9 hole with a two-run single to cap the rally and sophomore Gavin Weiss, who worked a walk to get Leary to the plate, provided the insurance in the sixth drawing a bases-loaded walk.
“We thought the critical moment tonight was Weiss fouling off some pitches to work out the walk that brought Neary to the plate,” legendary Massapequa coach Tom Sheedy said. “John was great in the playoffs last year and has been on fire this year. He’s playing with a lot of confidence.”
The Chiefs (22-3-1) will face Connetquot or Commack June 6 at 3 p.m. at Middle Country Athletic Complex in Selden for the Long Island Class AAA title. Massapequa is the defending champ.
“Our pitching has kept us in games all year,” Sheedy said. “We know if we can scratch out a couple of runs, we have a good chance to win.”
Junior Jack Scannapieco pitched the opening 3 2/3rds innings and the Chiefs got quality relief from seniors Sal Apap and James Alonso to finish the job.
“I wanted to be that guy who got the runs in and helped the team win,” said Neary, who went 4-for-5 with two walks in the series and drove in four runs. “Our team is super deep and anyone can be that guy to get the big hit,” he added.
In the county championship series opener Thursday afternoon, the offense showed its depth when Neary keyed a 7-4 win. He tripled and doubled, scored three runs and drove in a pair to help the Chiefs take the series driver’s seat.
Neary tripled home seniors Ryan Moore and Mikey Smar in the bottom of the third and scored on an error to build a 3-0 lead.
The advantage swelled to 6-0 in the fourth. The bases were juiced after Smar singled, Neary doubled and senior Brady Love was hit by a pitch. Smar scored on an error and Neary scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Anthony DiNello.
That was more than enough run support for sophomore pitcher Jack Mulligan, who struck out 10 and allowed one hit and three walks in five scoreless innings of work to earn the win.
Massapequa opened the postseason with a sweep of No. 8 Freeport, which entered the playoffs undefeated. The Red Devils proved a formidable foe in Game 2 of the quarterfinals after the Chiefs rolled to a 10-0 win in the opener.
But Game 2 went extra innings before Massapequa prevailed 11-5. Junior Chris Sultana had four RBIs and DiNello added three. Alonso earned the win in relief, striking out three of the four batters he retired.
In the semifinals against No. 7 Oceanside, the Chiefs once again romped in the series opener May 22, winning 10-0 behind the arm of Scannapieco and four more RBIs from Sultana. In Game 2 the following afternoon, Massapequa once again needed extra innings and prevailed 2-1. Neary and Love had the RBIs. Senior Jack Corrigan earned the win in relief, going 3 1/3 innings and Alonso got the save.
