Vrana steers Lindenhurst after Bammann is hit in face by line drive

The sound of ball on bone resonated Monday afternoon, and it was a chilling experience to witness. Lindenhurst righthander Tom Bammann was felled by a line drive that hit him flush in the right side of the face and left him motionless on the mound.

Bammann was transported by ambulance to South Side Hospital in Bay Shore, where he had a CT scan. His father, Glenn Bammann, said he suffered multiple facial fractures but does not have a concussion. Bammann, who did not lose consciousness, was released last night.

With James McKenna on second base and one out in the first inning of Lindenhurst's 6-2 Suffolk League II victory in Bohemia, Connetquot's Joe Russo lined a fastball back up the middle that caromed off the right side of Bammann's face. The ball ricocheted to first baseman Jon McGibbon, who recorded the out and ran to Bammann's side.

"I had to get to him right away," McGibbon said. "It was horrible. He was really swollen and his nose was bleeding badly."

As the out was recorded, Lindenhurst coach Mike Canobbio raced toward his fallen senior. "It scared me," he said. "There was discoloration where the ball hit him and all the blood was coming from his nose."

After Bammann was hit, a large crowd watched in eerie silence as both teams stood on the infield grass in horror. Canobbio got to Bammann first and immediately called for an ambulance.

"It was the worst thing I've ever seen in football or baseball in all of my years coaching," said Canobbio, who has coached Lindy baseball for 34 years. "The game immediately became secondary. Fatherly instincts took over right away."

When play resumed about 45 minutes later, lefthander Rich Vrana took the mound and was masterful. The junior went 61/3 innings, scattering seven hits, walking none and allowing one run. "It's a very big win and sets the tone for the series," Vrana said. "Our big guy went down and we pulled out the win for him."

"Once Bam went down, we wanted to win it for him," said Lindenhurst centerfielder Mike Roehrig, who had three hits. "We're a good team and we play good defense."

After Vrana replaced Bammann, Connetquot's Kenny Jackson greeted him with a hard single to rightfield to drive in McKenna, who had doubled and moved to third on Russo's line drive.

"Jackson and Russo are all- around tough outs," Vrana said. "I had to spot my fastball and work the curve against their lineup to be successful."

Lindenhurst (4-0) played inspired baseball. The defense came up with big plays, Vrana was brilliant and the Bulldogs got to Jimmy Guiliano for 10 hits and six runs, four earned, as Connetquot fell to 2-2.

Lindenhurst second baseman Ken Gentile robbed Jesse Simicich of a two-run single when he made a backhanded stop of a hard grounder and threw the speedy runner out to end the fourth and preserve a 3-1 lead. And Roehrig added a defensive gem in the fifth when he made a diving catch of Ryan Jordan's line drive. "Those were big plays," Canobbio said.

Lindenhurst's Jimmy Briggs, who led Long Island with 13 home runs last year, hit his first round-tripper this season, launching an opposite-field homer to rightfield in the fifth for a 4-1 lead.

Said Roehrig, "We can hit with anyone."