Abbate on mound at home helps Division advance
Division Avenue High School pitcher #43 Sean Abbate delivers to the plate during game three of a best-of-three Nassau County Class A varsity baseball quarterfinals vs. Valley Stream. (May 21, 2010) Credit: Freelance/Photo by James A. Escher
At home games, each member of the Division baseball team comes up to bat with personalized entrance music. Leftfielder J.J. Kissane uses Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town." Friday, that could have worked for the whole squad.
After an untimely loss at Valley Stream on Thursday forced a deciding Game 3 in this Nassau Class A quarterfinal, the Blue Dragons were back in front of their rowdy, raucous home fans, and, more importantly, ace Sean Abbate was back on the mound after missing most of the past two weeks with a groin injury.
Abbate struck out eight and allowed six hits as third-seeded Division eliminated No. 13 Valley Stream North, 3-1.
Abbate worked out of a couple of early jams and was brilliant after the second inning. He stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout in the first and allowed only one run to score after VSN (15-8) loaded the bases with no outs in the second.
"I just took some deep breaths, tried to stay ahead in the counts," Abbate said.
Shortstop Steven Lander said: "He's a gamer. I asked him in school if he was ready. He said, 'Don't worry about it.' "
An inning later, Kissane ripped a two-out single, stole second and came around to score on a single by Lander, who took second on the throw home. Mike Cruz followed with an RBI single to give Division (14-8) the lead for good.
It sounded like a boo was rising up from the Division bleachers, but a closer listen revealed the growing sound of "Cruuuuz" filling the air.
"Today, we tried to get the loudest kids in school out there," Abbate said.
They succeeded. Throughout the game, it was tough to hear anything other than the chanting of the Division students. "There's a lot of tradition in this town," Cruz said. "People love this game."
Added Lander: "You've got people out there who graduated 10 years ago coming down and cheering us on."
Greg Menz singled home Mike Rostenberg in the fourth inning for the final margin.
Abbate got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth, ending the inning with a 6-4-3 double play and a strikeout. VSN's Greg Gonzalez was equally as brilliant, holding Division to five hits in a complete game.
Division will host Game 1 of a semifinal matchup against either Bethpage or Island Trees on Monday. Expect that cheering section to make a return.
As Cruz said: "The best thing about it . . . we'll be at home."
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
