Sports
Glen Cove Baseball Splits Pair of Tight Battles
Big Red defeats Long Island giant Clarke High School in eight innings on Monday, but falls to Division 5-4 on Tuesday.
Big Red found themselves in the trenches of two tight baseball games on Monday and Tuesday. Glen Cove pulled out the first in extra innings with a win over Long Island powerhouse Clarke, but dropped the second Tuesday to Division.
Against Clarke on Monday, senior Peter Cappiello shined as he fanned 10, allowed just one walk and two runs. Glen Cove knocked off Clarke on the road with a 3-2 win in eight innings.
"That was a great game. It was a huge win for our program," Coach Carmine Rotolo said Wednesday.
Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Cappiello received major support from fellow senior Richie Maccarone, who blasted a triple, picked up an infield hit and stole a pair of bases. He finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
On Tuesday, Glen Cove found themselves in position to beat Division as they took a 4-3 lead late in the game, but an error in the outfield allowed Division to crawl back in and take the win 5-4.
Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
But it wasn't over. The Big Red threatened big time in the seventh inning with runners on first and second base with no one out.
On a textbook baseball coaching call, Rotolo asked Cappiello to sacrifice bunt the runners over. Cappiello popped up the bunt and Division turned a double play to end the threat.
"[That call] is just what you do," Rotolo said. "We'll work on those things in practice."
However, the LeMoyne College-bound Cappiello was a big reason why Glen Cove was in the game. Cappiello drilled a two-run single to get Glen Cove on the board in the fifth.
Rotolo said he was impressed by sophomore Bobby McDonald's performance on the mound, and if not for one inning where the young gun fell behind in counts, his outing would've turned out more positive.
McDonald allowed four hits and three runs while picking up the no decision.
Maccarone replaced McDonald in the fifth and allowed one earned and one unearned in two innings of work, but the senior suffered the loss.
The Big Red punched nine hits out against Division, but Rotolo said they struggled to move runners.
"Another tight game and we just didn't execute," Rotolo said. "When you don't execute against good teams, they take advantage of it."
Glen Cove plays Division High School at home at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and will look to improve its 1-3 record.
