By JOSEPH KELLARD
Before some 150 spectators at Barasch Field in Rockville Centre, the Oceanside and Island Park 15- and 16-year-olds played a back-and-forth district championship game in 95-degree heat July 22. Island Park was down 8-5 in the bottom of the seventh and final inning when Alex Pozin hit a home run with two strikes and two men on to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
Oceanside got most of its runs on singles and six walks off Island Park starter Brian Donohue, who pitched into the ninth inning. While Oceanside's Brian Croce gave up the tying home run to Pozin, he shut Island Park down thereafter.
By topping Island Park in this double-elimination tournament, undefeated Oceanside took its second consecutive championship in District 30, which includes teams from Rockville Centre, Long Beach, Baldwin, Cedarhurst, Hewlett and Freeport.
In Oceanside's sectional-round game against Franklin Square at Barasch Field, Zack Scheiner pitched a complete-game two-hitter with seven strikeouts, right fielder Steve Polidoro was 3 for 4 and third baseman Jason Mangin hit a two-run double and played stellar defense, Oceanside head coach Steve Scheiner said.
"Oceanside is very proud of this bunch of kids, and they are by far the best kids I've ever coached," said Scheiner, a 10-year veteran Little League coach.
Oceanside was scheduled to face North Bellmore-North Merrick in the Long Island Championship game in Medford on Tuesday, with the winner headedto the state championship. If Oceanside wins, it will be the team's second consecutive trip to the final round.
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
Photos by Janine Bily/Herald
