Baseball: Smithtown West bats sting in 15-2 defeat of Riverhead
When the Smithtown West High School baseball team arrived at the Pulaski Sports Complex in Riverhead on Friday, it found bees buzzing around in its dugout. It was Riverhead that was stung, though, by Smithtown West’s bats.
First-place Smithtown West delivered quite a sting in the first inning, rallying for seven runs from seven hits and two walks. By the time the full damage was done, Smithtown West had racked up 16 hits for a 15-2 blasting of Riverhead.
Leadoff hitter Jake Torres and designated hitter Christian Amoruso both went 3 for 3 for the Bulls (11-1, 11-1 Suffolk County League III). Nick Trabbachi, Nick Grande and Sean Mulhall drove in two runs each as Smithtown West swept the three-game series in convincing fashion.
It didn’t take long for Riverhead, which suffered its ninth straight loss, to see that it was going to be a long day. Four of the first five Smithtown West batters opened with hits in the first inning, including a run-scoring double by Trabbachi and a triple by Mike Zito that brought in another run. Later in the inning, Torres cracked a single for two runs, making it 7-0.
Grande pitched the first four innings without allowing a run or a walk. The senior righthander gave up four hits and struck out five.
Smithtown West built a 13-0 lead before Riverhead scored both of its runs in the sixth. With two runners on base, courtesy of walks, Tom Powers (3 for 3) bounced a single into left field, for the first run. Later, an infield single by Dylan Galante plated the second run.
Joe Cunningham went 2 for 3 with a walk, a run and a stolen base for the Blue Waves. One of his hits was a double.
Powers, playing center field, made the defensive play of the game, lunging to his right before making a tumbling catch of a ball hit by John Schmidt in the fifth.
Photo caption: Riverhead center fielder Tom Powers reaches high for a catch. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)
