GC Baseball Marches into the Playoffs

With a rare Saturday afternoon game against Mepham kicking off the final three games of the season, the Trojans knew it was time to take care of business. Looking to secure an all important second seed and first round bye, Garden City would have to win their last three. Coaches Dave Izzo and Ray Chaputian were confident but also knew that their team would have to play at their best to close out the season.

The game against Mepham was a rematch against a very talented Pirate team who had just defeated GC 6-0 on Thursday. Both teams had identical 8-5 records and a share of the coveted second seed. The game on Saturday would determine which squad had the advantage going into the final two games.

Garden City bounced back with a 7-3 victory in a game that featured a balanced attack, excellent defense and outstanding pitching. The balanced and timely hitting came from seniors Joe Frandino, Joe Infante and Frank Santeramo, as well as freshman Jack Fanning, each chipping in with 2 hits.

Winning pitcher Santeramo tossed a complete game with 11 strikeouts against one walk and only 4 hits, another superb outing for the senior flamethrower to pick up his fourth victory of the year. Santeramo kept the dangerous Mepham lineup off balance with excellent location and the occasional off-speed pitch.

Anchoring another solid defensive game was the outstanding play of shortstop Fanning. The freshman made two terrific plays in the late innings to ensure the Pirates couldn’t get anything started. Keeping the defense solid up the middle starts with catcher Infante and supported by second baseman Joey Wood and centerfielder Pete Halloran.

The Trojans closed out the season with a two-game series against Great Neck South. In the first game at Great Neck, the Trojans continued their fine pitching and timely hitting coming up with an 8-0 victory. Senior Aidan Magnotta got the start and went four strong innings giving up only 2 hits while striking out five. Magnotta was followed by another senior, Chris Blum who threw 3 shutout innings with no hits and three k’s. At the plate, Joe Infante and Frank Santeramo continued their hot hitting, both going 2-2.

Garden City celebrated senior day as they closed out their season with a home game against GNS on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the game was postponed because of impending thunderstorms and lightening. Luckily, the pre-game ceremonies for the seniors and their parents were completed before the call came to clear the field of players and spectators.

Back to the diamond on Wednesday for their last regular season game, Coach Izzo decided to go with a committee approach to the game, getting as many of his pitchers some work so they would be sharp for the playoffs. It was senior lefty Joe Frandino working an inning as the opener, followed by Frank Santeramo, Patrick Heber, Matthew Mohen, Simon Ferris and finally Gabe Beschloss.

The Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 lead but GC got the bats going in the second inning, plating three runs. The big inning was the fourth for Garden City as they put up five runs for an 8-2 lead. Leading the attack were a pair of seniors, outfielder Ronnie Marciano and catcher Joe Infante, who both collected two key hits. The Trojans tacked on an additional run in each of the fifth and sixth innings to close out the game with a 10-3 victory. Heber was credited with the win after tossing two scoreless innings.

The win gave Garden City the second seed and a coveted first round bye. It also means that they will play a three-game series to try to advance to the finals. With a pitching staff as deep as theirs, GC is poised to make a strong run in the playoffs. First game is on Saturday afternoon at Garden City, with the time to be determined. Followed by an away game on Sunday and back home if necessary, on Monday.

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