Erik Paulsen, Ryan Annunziato lead Massapequa machine to big win
Ryan Annunziato celebrates on his way to home plate after a home run during a Nassau Conference AA-1 baseball game against Syosset on Monday in Massapequa. Credit: Dawn McCormick
When Massapequa fell in the Long Island Conference I championship game last June, every starter from that day but one was done wearing his high school baseball uniform.
But here it was, beating the visitors from Syosset, 10-0, in a 4 1/2-inning game Monday that opened a three-game series. Massapequa received four RBIs from Erik Paulsen, a two-run homer from Ryan Annunziato and four innings of 10-strikeout work from Matt Hannon on the way to moving to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in Nassau AA-I.
This team is still good despite the graduation hits.
“We’re always good,” said Tom Sheedy, coach of a program that has claimed four straight county titles (disregarding the 2020 season that was canceled). “There’s just so much talent in Massapequa. I cut kids that could start for half of the teams in Long Island, or Nassau County, we’ll say.”
Hannon sees big things ahead.
“I think we have the potential to go all the way,” the Hofstra-bound senior righthander said. “We faced a really good pitcher today and it didn’t matter. We put up 10 runs like we always do.”
This was against Johns Hopkins-bound senior righty Alex Larson, the same pitcher who fired a six-inning no-hitter at Freeport in his previous start. And this came against a Syosset team that was a county semifinalist last season, a team that plans on contending in Class AA.
“Last year was fun; last year was close,” coach Tom Morritt said. "But we’ve kind of said, ‘Close doesn’t count.’ So it’s definitely a mission. But we know it’s a long season.”
Syosset (4-4, 3-1) had four singles and three walks against Hannon, who struggled to control his fastball. But he got his breaking ball over.
“That was the saving grace today,” Sheedy said.
Massapequa began backing Hannon in the first inning. Paul Dulanto’s two-run triple highlighted a four-run frame.
Then came a six-run fourth. Matt Castrogiovanni lined an RBI single to left. Paulsen launched a bases-clearing double to left-center. And Annunziato, a senior who was playing third after pitching last season, followed by driving his homer over the leftfield fence.
“I kind of got that off the end of the bat a little bit, but I did what I had to do,” Annunziato said. “I hit the ball hard.”
