This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Wantagh Baseball Drops First Round Playoff Game

7-0 loss to top-seeded Plainedge puts defending Long Island champions in elimination game Monday.

Defending Long Island champion Wantagh hit a bump in the road Saturday in its quest for a repeat when it fell to undefeated Plainedge in the first round of the Nassau County Class A baseball playoffs.

Saturday’s 7-0 loss at top-seeded Plainedge (20-0) sends eighth-seeded Wantagh (12-7) to an elimination game Monday against ninth-seeded Mineola. With the win Plainedge has received a bye to the quarterfinals.

Hero- Wantagh pitcher Greg Welch pitched a solid game into the fourth inning as he held a potent Plainedge offense to only one earned run. However, the bottom of the fourth proved to be the turning point as Plainedge poured on five runs during the frame. Ralph Caccavale went 3-3 on the day for Plainedge and helped lead the charge in the bottom fourth. He also had four RBI’s and three stolen bases. Plainedge pitcher Tyler Manez pitched a terrific game as he struck out 13 and held Wantagh scoreless.

Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Turning Point- It was mainly a pitching duel until Plainedge took advantage of the tired Welch. They jumped on fastballs up in the zone and caught fire. Caccavele and Brendan Swayne led the charge, driving the ball into the gaps of the outfield. Plainedge poured it on as they scored five runs to boost their lead to 6-0. From there, Manez continued his dominance and held Wantagh off the scoreboard,.

Quote- Wantagh head coach Keith Sachs said, “It was a tough game. They played well. We are by no means out of it. We will go to the losers bracket and try to win there. We have won plenty games this season. I have full confidence in my guys. This is far from the end.”

Bottom Line- Wantagh couldn’t pull off the upset over top seeded Plainedge on Saturday. However, the eight seeded Warriors will now move to the losers bracket where they have a chance to redeem themselves. It is a tough road ahead, but Wantagh has good leadership and one loss will not deter their playoff goals.

Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?