Massapequa Coast reaches Little League World Series Metro Regional final with big first inning
Tommy Tabone with coach Adam Weiss after beating out an infield single in the bottom of the first inning. Credit: Matt Lindsay
BRISTOL, Conn. — After several weather delays, Massapequa Coast brought the heaviest rain of the day in the form of hits.
Highlighted by an RBI double to right-centerfield by Matteo Pipia and capped by a delayed steal of home by Tommy Tabone, Massapequa scored seven runs in the first inning of its 10-1 win over East Hanover (New Jersey) in the semifinals of the Little League World Series Metro Regional Championship on Monday night at Breen Field.
“The misconception about us was that we can’t score. That we just pitch and play defense,” manager Jon Henchy said. “When we come up in the first inning and put up seven runs, that puts some shock into the other team.”
Massapequa will face the winner of East Hanover vs. Smithfield (Rhode Island) in the regional final on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Ryan Land started the inning with a walk before Massapequa rattled off five consecutive hits. Gavin Weiss and Jackson Henchy singled to load the bases before Brady Hunt drove in two runs with a single through the left side.
After Pipia’s double, Harrison Smith lined a single to center to drive in Hunt. Pipia scored on a wild pitch, giving Massapequa a 5-0 lead before an out could be recorded.
Tabone beat out an infield single and advanced to third on an error. With two outs, Tabone caught East Hanover’s defense sleeping and stole home while pitcher Tyler Ciasullo was walking back to the mound between pitches.
“Coach Henchy told me to take a big secondary lead, so I put that in my mind,” Tabone said. “As I saw the first few pitches, I noticed he wasn’t looking back, so I decided to just go.”
Massapequa tacked on three more in the third as Andrew Cevallos lined a two-run double to center and scored on a single by Carter Kemper.
Pipia struck out four batters and allowed one run and three hits in 3 2⁄3 innings.
“It was a lot more calming having that lead in the second inning,” he said. “I just had to throw strikes and let the defense do its thing.”
He threw 65 pitches, which requires three days of rest under Little League rules, meaning Pipia will be eligible to pitch in the championship game if necessary.
He was relieved by Smith, who allowed one hit in the final 2 1⁄3 innings.
On Wednesday, Massapequa will find out whom it will face in the championship game. Massapequa has beaten each team 10-1 in its first two games of the tournament.
“We’ve got a lot of options going into Friday and it’s good to have everybody available,” Jon Henchy said. “We feel confident in all our arms in any spot and our defense has been lights out.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
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