Manhasset salvages Plainedge series with Game 3 win

David Spampinato was getting frustrated with his at-bats. He said he was seeing the ball well all day, he just wasn’t able to put it in play.

When Spampinato finally did put it in play Thursday, it turned out to be the biggest hit for Manhasset in its 6-3 home win over Plainedge in League A-II.

Spampinato’s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth helped the Indians regain the lead at 4-2 after scoring the game’s first run, before falling behind 2-1.

“I finally got one to drive,” said Spampinato, who had three RBIs. “We preach putting the ball in play and good things will happen. We’ve been grinding out wins that way.”

The Indians sure have this season. Despite dropping two of three to Plainedge, Manhasset (5-4) took two of three from Hewlett and Sewanhaka, outscoring their opponents 26-12 in each of its wins.

“The game was big to salvage the week,” Manhasset coach Brian Corbo said. “Game 1 could have gone either way. The whole series was like that. We knew we belonged in the same category as them.”

Plainedge (9-3) remains on top of the league, ahead of Division (7-2), Hewlett (6-3) and fourth place Manhasset. The Red Devils defeated the Indians 5-4 in Game 1 and 5-1 in Game 2.

That gave Manhasset more incentive to salvage the series in Game 3.

“It’s been a different guy every game,” Corbo said. “We’ve come full circle.”

And Ryan Lennon’s played a large role in that. Lennon is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 23 1/3 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and seven walks.

His battery mate, Spampinato, is the team-leader in RBIs with eight and is batting .360 with six runs.

Tim Curtis is now 1-1 with a 3.70 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched after pitching three innings of relief, allowing one hit and no earned runs, while striking out three and walking four in the Game 3 win.

Joe Enea started and pitched four innings, while allowing two runs on two hits, an earned run, with six strikeouts and six walks for the no-decision.