Black Barons vs. Crawford
On a beautiful Sunday on the lush new green grass of Battery Park City fields, Ryan Porcaro started the action for the Birmingham Black Barons with a checked-swing bloop single to centerfield off a strike pitched by Crawford’s Niall Gallagher, which he stretched into a double with crafty base-running. During Devin Minnihan’s at bat, which resulted in a base on balls, Porcaro broke for third. The catcher’s attempt to gun him down at third sailed into left and Porcaro scampered home for the first run of the season. Noah Berrie also walked, and Minnihan stole third during his at-bat. Clyde Huibregtse had a great at-bat, fouling off several pitches with a full count, and when Tommy Caruso came to bat, he had “ducks on the pond” at second and third. His sac fly to right field drove in Minnihan for the Barons’ second run. Tyler Rohan took a base on balls and stole second base during Isaac Longobardi’s first ever at-bat in a Downtown Little League game.
In the top of the third, Huibregtse reached on an infield single but was erased by a Caruso fielder’s choice. With Caruso on first, and the count at 2 balls and 1 strike, the right-handed hitting Rohan electrified the crowd by uncorking a deep two-run homer over the left centerfield fence and into the perpetual construction site to be discovered by the Monday morning hard-hatters. The prodigious blast extended the lead to 5-1.
Porcaro gave up the only walk of his outing to Dante Secada-Oz to lead off the bottom of the third. Joseph Scarpelli followed with a skillful sacrifice bunt, moving Secada-Oz to second, but he was stranded.
Crawford’s Greg Elefterakis made a nice put-out to hold the Barons scoreless later in the game. The Barons won, 7-1.
