East Rockaway falls in Class C baseball championship

East Rockaway fell behind in the first inning and couldn’t overcome a dominant pitching performance, mustering only three hits in a 4-0 loss to North Salem in the Southeast Regional Class C baseball championship Saturday in Poughkeepsie.

North Salem’s Dan Capra struck out seven in a complete game and hit an RBI single to take the lead in the bottom of the first. He later singled and scored as his team jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth.

“It was a tough day offensively for us,” said East Rockaway’s Ryan Kelly, who went 1-for-3. “We had our starting pitcher, Nick Ippolito, go down early in the game with a knee injury, but we scored no runs. The offense wasn’t there today.”

East Rockaway coach James Hickey said he was proud of his team’s effort against a strong opponent, now 17-5.

“They fought, they battled,” Hickey said. “We faced a good team and our guys were the same type of group they’ve been all year. They kept fighting; we just couldn’t get the bats going today. We ran into a good team and a good pitcher.

“I think overall, disappointing end today, certainly. We’d love to be playing another week, but I think there’s a lot to be proud about.”

East Rockaway finished the season with an 11-10 record.