Nassau Yankees: Welcome

Second-year Nassau Yankee Kevin Connors was named to the firs-team all-conference team in the East Coast Conference. Connors, who just finished his sophomore year at St. Thomas Aquinas College, had a terrific year for the STAC Spartans. The infielder hit .296 in 40 games played with one homerun and 20 RBIs. Connors, along with fellow Yankee Brian LaMarr, helped lead the Spartans to one of their best seasons ever, finishing with a 28-24 record and winning the regular season title in the ECC. In 2007, Connors' first year with the Yanks, he hit .366 with 33 runs scored in 31 games played.

 STAC Baseball Website

ECC All-Conference Team 

Boxscore - April 25, 2008 Game One

Boxscore - April 25, 2008 Game Two

Boxscore - April 26, 2008 

    The Nassau Yankees entered Saturday having lost three straight games and facing the prospect of the first four-game losing streak in franchise history.  The  Yanks met the Queens Red Soxin a NYCMBL doubleheader for the first time. The team responded to the losing streak by sweeping the Red Sox, including a dramatic comeback win in game two.  They followed up the Saturday sweep with a convincing MABL victory on Sunday versus the New York Panthers.

    The Yanks sent out rookie righty Mike Levy in game one on Saturday. Levy, looking to bounce back from his first loss a week earlier, gave his team a terrific outing. He tossed six strong innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run. He earned the victory to improve to 2-1 on the season, while striking out nine batters. The nine strikeouts give him a team-high 27 in 17 innings of work.  While the team had a rough game offensively, getting just 5 hits, James Conklin had a great game at the plate, going 2 for 2 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and a run scored.  Mike Flynn came on to strike out the side in the seventh to earn his first save of the season.

    In game two, the Yanks again struggled to put up but runs but lefty Jose Martinez, in his first start on the mound this year, did plenty to keep the Sox in check.  Martinez tossed five innings, allowing three hits and one earned run, while striking out seven. The Yanks jumped out to a 3-0 lead, on RBIs by Nick Testani in the first and third inning. However, the Red Sox chipped away, scoring a run in the third and fifth to cut the lead to 3-2.  The Sox would take their first lead of the day with 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth. With their backs against the wall, the Yanks responded in their final at-bat.  After a one-out walk by Bryan Boehler and a strikeout by John Sarkis, Charlie Sanjurjo kept the Yanks hopes alive by reaching on an error.  Boehler would go on to score the game-tying run on a wild pitch. The Yanks then loaded the bases on back-to-back two-out walks by Alex Sharpe and Henry Fontalvo., bringing captain Paul LaMarr to the plate.  The Yanks took the lead when LaMarr got hit on a 1-2 pitch, his team-high fourth hit-by-pitch of the season.  The Yanks held onto the one-run lead with a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, highlighted by a leaping grab by Testani to end the game.  Flynn picked up the victory to go along with his save earlier in the day, tossing two innings and striking out three.  The two wins improved the Yanks record to 4-2 in NYCMBL play and 6-4 overall.

     Sunday saw the Yankees bats finally bust out.  They pounded out 11 hits and a season-high 16 runs en route to a 16-4 run rule victory over the Panthers.  Nine different Yankees recorded hits, while nine also scored at least one run.  Anthony Denara had a bases loaded triple to bust open the game, part of a eight run fifth inning. For the day, Denara went 1 for 2 with the triple, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.  Shorstop Ray Montanez went 2 for 4 and a season-high 4 RBIs.  Sanjurjo and Jon Franco each two hits, as well.  Jason Guichard picked up his second win on the year, working six innings, allowing three earned runs.

    The Yanks resume play on Saturday with a 2pm NYCMBL doubleheader versus the College Point Clippers at Old Boys High School.

GAME 1 BOXSCORE

GAME 2 BOXSCORE

    For the second consecutive Sunday, the Nassau Yankees had a tough tripleheader. Again, the Yanks looked to avenge a 2007 MABL loss, this time facing off against the Hicksville Sox. And again faced a new NYCMBL foe, this time in fellow league newcomer the New York's Finest. The task at hand was made a little easier this time around with all three games played at the Yankees' new home field, Roslyn High School.

The day began well for the club with a 6-4 tough win against the Sox. The win improved the team's record to 2-1 in the MABL and 4-1 overall. The Yanks opened up the scoring in the opening frame when Tom Foley's two-out triple scored Paul LaMarr. After the Yanks added a run in the third on a Nick Testani RBI double, the Sox responded by scoring three runs in the fourth off Yankee starter and manager Ed LaMarr. In his first outing of the year, LaMarr went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. The Yanks immediately answered back, tying the game in the bottom half on a Alex Sharpe double. An inning later, they took the lead on a solo homerun from Testani, his first of the year and the team's first on the season. The Sox would re-tie the game two innings later on a double steal. In the bottom of the seventh, the Yanks would take the lead for good on an RBI single from Testani and a RBI fielder's choice by James Conklin. For the game, Testani went 3/4 with 3 RBIs and was a triple short of hitting for the cycle. In his first appearance of the year, righty Kevin Salguero picked up the win in relief. He tossed four strong innings, allowing a lone run on 3 hits and struck out five. The victory gave Ed LaMarr and the Nassau Yankees their 100th career victory.

The opening victory would prove to be the lone highlight of the day as the Yanks got swept in their doubleheader against the Finest. In game one, the Yanks jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a RBI single from Testani in the first and and a RBI single from Paul LaMarr in the third. The Finest answered convincingly by putting six runs on the board in the third , thanks in large part to three Yankee errors. They would put the game away scoring two more in the fourth and four in the fifth to earn the run-rule victory. For the game, the Yanks' committed six errors that led to five unearned runs. In game two, the Yanks again jumped out to an early lead on a Foley RBI single in the first. However, once again the Yanks' defense let down their pitching. After scoring three in the third, the Finest broke open the game with six runs in the fourth. In the inning, the Yanks' committed three more errors. The Yanks would fight back, making it a 9-5 game in the fifth but would fall short, leaving 2 runners on base in each of the final three innings. The two losses dropped the Yanks record in the NYCMBL to 2-2 and 4-3 overall.

NOTES: The top of the Yanks' order had a big day, with their 1-3 hitters combining to go 18 for 27 on the day. Leadoff hitter Anthony Denara went 5 for 10, scoring three times and stealing three bases. Yanks captain Paul LaMarr went 6 for 8, scoring three times and driving in three runs. Three hitter Nick Testani had a huge day going 7 for 9, 3 doubles, a home run and 5 RBIs. The trio scored 8 out of the team's 13 runs and drove in 8 runs, as well.

 BOXSCORE

    The Yanks lost their first game of the year today in a 5-3 contest against MABL rival Midville Dodgers.  The Yankees spotted their opponent a 5-0 lead, allowing 2 two-out runs in the third and 3 two-out runs in the fifth.  The Yanks cut the lead to 5-2, plating two runs in the seventh on RBI doubles by Paul LaMarr and Tom Foley.  Jason Rodriguez drove in a run on a single in the eigth to shrink the deficit to two, but the Yanks rally ended when LaMarr grounded out and Nick Testani struck out to leave the tying runs on base.  They would mount another charge in the ninth, putting the tying runs on base due to two-out singles by Alex Sharpe and John Sarkis before Henry Fontalvo popped out to first to end the game.  On the day, the Yanks stranded eight men on base, seven in scoring position, including 2 in each of the final three innings.  Rookie righthander Mike Levy took the tough loss, evening his record at 1-1.  He tossed seven innings, allowing just 3 hits, 4 earned runs, while striking out twelve. He battled control problems throughout the day, walking seven. Reliever Mike Flynn was solid in his debut on the hill, tossing a scoreless eighth inning.

    The Yankees will look to get back on the winning track tomorrow, playing a tripleheader at Roslyn HS.  They face off against MABL foe Hicksville Sox in a 11am contest. The Yanks are looking to avenge their early season loss last year to the Sox.  After, the Yanks will play the New York's Finest in a NYCMBL doubleheader at 2:30PM.  Like the Yanks, the Finest are new to the NYCMBL and are expected to be one of the league's tougher teams. 

Game 3 Boxscore

The Nassau Yankees opened up their 2008 season on Sunday with the tough task of playing three games in two leagues. The Yanks opened up the day, making their NYCMBL debut, with a doubleheader against 2007 NYCMBL runner-up the NY/LI Rough Riders. The team made an early statement by sweeping the doubleheader with a 5-1 game one victory, followed by a 2-0 game two win. They finished the day with a convincing 9-1 triumph over the New York Hurricanes in their MABL opener.

The day began with rookie Mike Levy taking the hill in his Yankee debut. The righty from Clark University had an impressive first game, allowing a lone run in 4 innings to earn his first victory. He struck out six and walked just one. After falling behind 1-0, the Yanks took the lead in the third on an RBI single from newcomer Ray Montanez and an RBI double by Bryan Boehler. After adding a run in the fourth, the Yanks put the game out of reach with two more runs in the fifth, thanks to a RBI double by Nick Testani and RBI single by Tom Foley. Lefty Jose Martinez picked up his first career save, tossing shutout innings, striking out two batters.

In game two, Nassau sent out newly acquired ace Wayne Seder. Seder made a great early impression by tossing a complete game shutout. The righty from New York Tech struck out ten and allowed just four hits. The game remained scoreless through the first five innings before the Yanks broke through in the six. The club scored two in the sixth, due in large part to two pitchers. Game one winner Levy and rookie reliever Mike Flynn, both in the lineup because the Yanks were forced to split their squad due to the MABL night game, came through to rally the club. After a one-out single by Levy, Flynn opened the scoring with an RBI double. He scored two batters later on a two-out RBI single by Jason Rodriguez. Seder took care of the rest, finishing strong by recording five of the last six outs by strikeouts.

After two low-scoring games, the Yanks bats came alive in the nightcap. Venging a sweep at the hands of the Hurricanes last year, the Yanks pounded out 16 hits, leading to a 9-1 win. They jumped out of the gate quickly, scoring 3 runs in the top of the first. Rookies Montanez and Testani each had three hits on the day, while Anthony Denara and Paul LaMarr each scored two runs. 2007 Pitcher of the Year winner Jason Guichard was outstanding in his season debut. The righty went the distance, allowing just three hits and one unearned run, while striking out four.

The Yankees will look to build off their succesful opening day when they face off with the Midville Dodgers on Saturday at 4PM in a MABL contest. The team will face another tripleheader next Sunday, playing fellow NYCMBL newcomer New York's Finest and the Hicksville Sox in a MABL matchup.

NOTES: Montanez went 5 for 8 on the day with 3 RBIs, Testani went 4 for 8 and Denara went 3 for 9 and 3 runs scored....In game one, Paul LaMarr played in his 100th career game as a Nassau Yankee, the first player in team history to reach the milestone...Guichard's complete game was his 8th in his Yankee career...Boehlers 3 hits on the day put him in a tie with Brian LaMarr for 2nd all-time with 88 hits...The Yanks now have 99 all-time victories