DeRamo, Farmingdale State stay alive

Farmingdale State's baseball team was facing elimination in the NCAA Division III regional when coach Keith Osik told seldom-used starter Matt DeRamo that he would be called upon to throw against Ithaca on Friday night.

DeRamo gave up three runs and three hits in the first inning, then allowed just two hits in a 92/3-inning performance that ended with Farmingdale winning, 4-3, in 10 innings. The host Rams (32-11) must still beat Cortland (38-7-1) twice Saturday, starting at noon, to win the regional and advance to the World Series in Appleton, Wis. Cortland beat the Rams, 4-2, in the earlier game.

"I started off a little shaky in the first inning," said DeRamo, a sophomore righthander from Smithtown West High School. "I was thinking [Osik] was going to pull me after the first, honestly. Luckily, I pulled through it and almost pitched a complete game." He threw 99 pitches.

Farmingdale scored the winning run when Ron Remi singled, his third hit of the game, and came all the way around to score when Ryan McAllister's sacrifice bunt was picked up by Ithaca pitcher Ian Gaule and thrown wildly past first base, down the rightfield line. That made a winner out of reliever Michael Santagata, who got the final out in the 10th inning.

Osik, a former big-league catcher, went to DeRamo because his pitching is thin after a broken toe earlier this week sidelined ace starter Chris Phelan. "Matt has a lot to be proud of," Osik said. "He struggled a little bit, but obviously threw the game of his life under the circumstances of an elimination game. He puts these guys into a championship and we'll see what happens."

In the loss to Cortland, Farmingdale outhit the Red Dragons, 10-3, but the Rams fell victim to errors and good defensive play by the Red Dragons. Cortland stretched a one-run lead to a 4-1 advantage in the fifth. Farmingdale relief pitcher Dominick Morelli retired the first two batters before walking Max Rosing. Michael LaTempa's infield grounder was thrown away and Rosing scored all the way from first and LaTempa went to third. He scored on a wild pitch.

"You can't make silly errors against the No. 2 team in the nation," Osik said after that game, "but our kids battled. Our kids hit the ball, they pitched the ball well."