Finally Mother Nature was nice to us and on a beautiful spring day the Astros took the field this past Saturday. Even though it was their first time actually playing organized Little League Baseball, the Astros were in mid season form. All of the Astros players, Craig Cagner, James Castaldi, Danny and Philip Chang, Blake Cohen, Luke Esposito, Randall Louie, Luke Pullo, Aman Sawhney, William Schillinger and Michael Zuschlag showed off their skills first in fielding and hitting drills then in a simulated game. A good time was had by all, players, parents and fans. Way to go Astros!

On a beautiful spring day the Instructional Division "Blue Jays" took the field this past Saturday. The Blue Jays were ready to show everyone their skills. All of the Blue Jays players, Jared and Ryan Hodes, Bryan Kang, Kostas Katsoulis, Francesco Maropakis, Daniel McGuigan, Matthew Notine, Jack Nuttall, Ryan Quintiliano, George Saketos and Joseph Sullivan were spectacular first in fielding and hitting drills then in a simulated game. Smiles were on everyone's faces. Go Blue Jays!

On a beautiful day for baseball the Instructional Division "Cardinals" took to the field. All Star performances were turned in by Sal Anegelaras, Anthony Carbone, Justin Carnero, Nicholas Dimaria, Chris Kilcullen, Mark Niewierowski, Dominick Patrizi, Nicky Reda, Fernando Robayo and Chris Valentine. Keep up the good work boys, go Cardinals!

The Expos took to the field and flashed the leather and some explosive hitting skills. Led by Jon Alicea, Kevin Cook, Nicky Demaria, Pat Devine, Ian Dubson, Dom Hertz, Nicky Lopez, Tommy Murnane, Steven Polito, Robert Sirotkin and James Treadwell. What a day for the Expos, parents and fans saw some great potential in this team and look forward to exciting Spring Season at Merillon.

The Instructional Division "Indians" took to the field on this spring Opening Day and showed everyone their baseball skills. Led by, Fernando Alfonso, Nicky Arman, Armand Baklajian, Robert Cass, Matt Fitzgerald, Jason Giamarino, Jordan Lempert, Sam Livers, Joey Mazurkiewicz, Harry Schildkraut, Dylan Silverstein and George Vlantis. The Indians looked like a professional team and really showed the fans and parents what they were capable of doing on the field. Way to go Indians!

On a beautiful spring day the Instructional Division "Twins" took to the field and impressed the coach and parents with their baseball skills. Led by Jack Belmonte, Alan Chen, James Connolly, Max Kesner, Ryan McDermott, Jacob Portnoy, Brian and Paul Schoenberg, Jack Tucker, Brian Volk and David West. The Twins players showed that they are all ballplayers that will be a force at Merillon in the years to come. Go Twins!

Manager Mike Pesiri was in awe over the talent that these young ladies showed in their first ever work out and scrimmage game. The entire team showed their baseball talents, led by Julie Compton, Christine Koppelman, Sophia Leeds, Monica Mattei, Alannah O'Shea, Maria Pesiri, Emma Quinn, Krysta Sollecito and Mollie Zimmerman. Keep up the good work ladies!

Not to be outdone by the other girls squad the Instructional Division "Marlins" held their own and showcased their own talents this past Saturday. To the delight of parents and fans the girls demonstrated their talents for all. All of the Marlins had a terrific day at the plate and in the field, Emily Abrams, Katie Belmonte, Alyssa Garcia, Gabrielle Lavoie, Raffaeia Palmieri, Parker Spector-Salwen, Samantha Strocchia and Jessica Vissichelli demonstrated their skills. Go Marlins!

The Padres played and won a 24-21 slugfest versus the powerful Dodgers. Though many runs were scored, the Padres' defense was the difference. Great plays on the field by Justin Roth and Vincent Rossello led the way. The offense was plentiful, led by home runs from Matthew Vowinkle and Giuseppe LoDuca. Also, Matthew Ambrosio, Matthew Bateman, Matthew Ferrante, Michael Husch, Ryan Looney, Gregory Donovan, Jacob Leeds and Kyle Waibel had multiple hit games. Most importantly fun was had by all!

Showing no signs of early season rust, the Yankees came out swinging against the Athletics. The hitting attack was lead by Peter Restivo, John Compton, Ryan O'Hare and Peter Tagios who each banged out 4 hits. Fielding gems were turned in by Slater Dvoor, Andrew Colgan, Steven Cascio and Big Joe Dunn. Great all around play by Mike Varrone and Christian Carrick. Keep up the good work.

The Cubs played their hearts out on Sunday. The hitting lead by Kyle Perno, Luke Hoffman, Domenick Sciove, Joey Leva, Jordan Greiff and Kevin Driscoll hit the cover off the ball! Great defensive plays by JoJo DelGiorno, Nick Zovich, Eric Gonzales, Jonathan Brancato, and Michael Tragale. All the boys missed our teammates, Nicholas Castelli, and Anthony Bartolotta. Hope to see our mascot, Renee Perno back next week. Thanks to all. Great game!

The Rangers and the Cubs kicked off their seasons on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The Rangers strong offense was led by Nicolas and Louis Mangia who set the table going a combined 7 for 8 while scoring 3 runs each. Darren Nieves and Spencer Diamond joined in as well both going 4 for 4 and scoring 3 runs and 2 runs respectively. Justin Marder (4 RBI=S), Yanni Rigos (4 RBI's, Home Run), Nicholas Campanella (3RBs, Triple) and Anthony DePompeis (2 RBI's) supplied the power. The Rangers defense was led by David Lapidus who turned in a spectacular and rarely seen unassisted triple play. Way to go David! Justin Marder and Nicholas Kurdziel also contributed with some good plays on defense. Great game boys!

It was 8 to 5 when the game was interrupted by darkness. The Giants looked pretty good. Pitching included Vincent Patrey and Max Nettler two Giant 8 year olds who pitched a great inning each. The hitting was lead by Mark Thomas who was 2 for 2 including a nice fly ball into the right center gap for a triple and was awarded home after an overthrow at 3rd and scored twice. Max Nettler also had a big night at the plate going 2 for 2, both doubles, receiving a game ball. Shaun Kaiman went 2 for 2 scored a run and pitched 1 inning showing his pitching capability by consistently putting the ball in the strike zone. Kurt Skudrna was 1 for 2 and filled in nicely at catcher and scored a run. Jake Grusd showed lots of potential at the plate and was 1 for 1. Travis Finkel drew 2 walks with a spectacular stop at short and scored a run. Vincent Patrey and Matthew Pau each drew a walk. Vincent Nicosia in his first game ever took one for the team shook it off and stole 2 bases and was also given a game ball. Matthew Esposito, Liam Quinn, Ryan Tucker and Matt Nilsson took some quality cuts at the plate.

The Phillies and Giants played their opening day on a terrific Tuesday evening. Justin Diamond led off the game with a home run and the Phillies offense followed with hits from Frank DiSanto, Andrew Curcio and Cooper Spector-Salwen. The Phillies scored again in the 2nd inning when Peter Dunn led off with a walk and stole two bases, Andrew Seger came up to bat and knocked in the go ahead run. Klye Triptree led off the 3rd with a triple to right center and the offense continued to score. The defense was anchored by John Triptree who made several outs at first, James Cotumaccio and Andrew Schneider. The battery was made up of Kenny Nygard behind the plate and Nicholas Winkhart, who earned the game ball for his terrific pitching performance. The Phillies look like they will be a tough team to play. Lets Go Phillies!

Terrific opening day by all the Indians players in a 4-2 victory over a strong Marlins team. Indians pitchers Chris Ferlazzo (4 strikeouts) and Ben Lee (3 strikeouts) each gave up only one run in completely shutting down the potent Marlin offense. The Indians offense was led by Brendan McNulty's 3 run home run blast to deep left field. Nicholas Martinez drove in the other Indians run with a clutch single in the 3rd inning. Andy Ferrante drew a walk in his first-ever Merillon at-bat. Ben Lee singled and scored a run, Chris Ferlazzo walked and scored, Chris Cataldo doubled, walked, scored a run and stole a base. Mateo Diaz walked in both his plate appearances while Anthony Cacchioli, Steven Cacchioli, Brandon Martinez, Giovanni Castelli, and Tommy LaBruna all took some nice swings. Great game Indians!

T. F. O'Brien Marlins (2) vs State Bank of Long Island Indians (4)

A great game played by both teams. For the Marlins, Joey Richards pitched two 3 up 3 down innings sprinkling in 3 strikeouts. Hot at the plate were Tyler Carrick and Anthony D'Ammassa. Suring up the infield were Ryan Marder, Joseph Hogan, Chris Sacino, Troy Kipperman, Joseph Tricarico, Stephen Eranovic, Thomas Fong, Jake Levy, Daniel Zuschlag, and Ethan Schonhaut. It doesn't get any better.

The Brewers played their opening game against the Cardinals in what proved to be an exciting game for both teams. The game ended in the 5th inning as a tie game. Dominick Kaczor, Matthew Kipnis and Matthew Cenicola loaded up the bases for John Young; he delivered with a long fly ball into left field for a grand slam homerun. The pitching staff of Ross Hoffman, John Young and Dylan Forrester under the leadership of their catcher Jack Schildkraut performed fabulously and limited the Cardinals to only 4 runs. Frankie Suppa, Thomas Puglia, Mark Fuller, Andrew Kraus and Tyler Pelaez helped support the team both offensively and defensively throughout the game. Both teams played an awesome game and are looking forward to the rest of the season. Go, BREWERS!

This was the Cards opener and they started off hot scoring 4 runs in the first two innings. The heavy hitters were Adeel Bari, Prasanth Venigalla, Jarett Greben, and Thomas Kelly. The pitching was very strong led by Steven Farkas, Matt Theodoropoulos and David Feldstein, they held the Brewers down, giving up only 4 runs in 5 innings. The defense was rock solid and great plays were turned in by Matt Dluginski, Jared Gany, Jayson Molina, Joseph Pagan and Harrison Dvoor. The game finished in 4-4 tie after darkness ended it in the 5th. Great first game Cardinals; keep up the hard work!

What a great way to start the season for the Diamondbacks with a victory over the Brewers. Great pitching performances by Billy Stevens, Nick Perrone, Jack Kimmel and Michael Kemmet. Solid defensive play all around led by Andrew Blumenson, Andrew Waibel, Tim McCormack and William Huh. The hitters provided just enough with Craig Schmid, Michael Casey, Alex Cowen and Thomas Kemmet leading the way. Congratulations to both the Brewers and the Diamondbacks.

Spring finally came for our Merillon baseball teams. The Rockies and Marlins came out to play hard for the season opener. Daniel Hodes gave the Rockies two strong innings of pitching. Austin Ward came up big and stroked a single putting the Rockies on the board with his first RBI of the season. Matt Feit, Akaash Ranu and Daniel all had RBIs to get the Rockies going in the 1st. Sean O'Hara had a sensational catch in center field that would have given the Marlins several more runs for sure. Alex Lopez started the next inning by getting on base. Max Latin showed his awareness of the strike zone working out a walk. Mike Barry hammered a single to get his first RBI of the season. Marlins came back strong to take the lead in the middle innings. Spencer Beck, Ethan Volk and Joseph Dimonte had some strong defensive plays to keep the game close. In the bottom of the last inning the Rockies were down by 4 runs but never gave up. Ethan and Max use their keen baseball eye to get on base. John Leva came up stroking a ball into the gap that earned him his first homerun of the season. The Rockies came up a little short this day but they never gave up. Great game by both teams.

The Marlins and the Rockies faced off in what was the epitome of a true Little League game. Both sides were sporting great pitching, great fielding, and great hitting thrilling the parents, family, and friends in the stands. Ryan Marder was flawless in his pitching debut, striking out 2 batters in one inning. Joey Richards, two shutout innings 4Ks. Awesome at the plate were Joseph Hogan, Chris Sacino, Thomas Fong, and Ethan Schonhaut. Awesome defense by Anthony D'Ammassa, Jake Levy, and Troy Kipperman with a Major League catch in center. Tyler Carrick feel better and lay off the yo-yo. A great game played by both teams.

The Angels played a great game on Saturday, against the Giants. Great pitching by Sam, Evan and Brennan. The Angels' bats were on fire with Evan's triple, double and RBI and Brennan's triple and RBI. Brandon and Matthew also had RBI's with their singles. The infield of Jarett, Peter and Thomas played great defense as well as the outfielders Brett, Anthony, Billy, and Eric. Great first game, keep up the good work boys!

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon for baseball, Cooper Spector-Salwen made his first start of the season at pitcher, and held the mighty Diamondback scoreless for 2 innings. The defense helped out with a great catch by Frank DiSanto in the first. The outfield consisting of James Cotumaccio, Peter Dunn, Andrew Curcio and Justin Diamond all played solid. The hitting stars of the game were John Triptree, who received the game ball for his bases clearing triple. Andrew Schneider who was 2 for 2 and Nick Winkhart with a triple to the opposite field. Also contributing to the Phillies success were Kyle Triptree and Tyler Cohen. The catching duties were handled by Kenny Nygard and Andrew Seger. Let's Go Phillies.

The Diamondbacks fell just short, rallying late, in a loss to the Phillies. Alex Cowen, Michael Kemmet, Andrew Blumenson and Nick Perrone chipped in with solid pitching performances while Ryan Korvinski, Billy Stevens, Tim McCormack and Craig Schmid led a potent hitting attack. Defensively the Diamondbacks dug in with stellar efforts from William Huh, Andrew Waibel, Michael Casey and Thomas Kemmet. Great efforts and sportsmanship on both sides of the field.

With the game scoreless going into the bottom of the 4th inning, the Expos scored 2 runs to take the lead. The Surf came right back, scoring 1 run in the top of the 5th. Then the Expos bats came alive in the bottom of the 5th scoring 5 runs. The Surf loaded the bases with no outs in the last inning fighting hard for a comeback, but great pitching from the Expos ended the late inning rally. Great pitching by Alex Katz and Paul Reo kept the game close. Paul also did a great job behind the plate along with Jonathon Livers, who took over at catching in the 4th inning. The infield play of Michael Aronov, single, Troy Barocas, single, Troy Driscoll, Domenick Fazzolari, and Adrian Kwan was excellent. Ace Goldstein, Anthony Grimaldi, John Grzmalski and Domenico Fazzolari did a great job covering the outfield. Great effort and sportsmanship shown by both teams in the season opener.

The Expos faced the Surf on their opening day. The Expos got off to a great start this season with Michael Ring and Mike West pitching a spectacular game, holding the Surf to one run. The Expos made fine fielding plays carried out by Matthew Ryan, Matthew Peterson, Mike West, Logan Diamond and Austin Vogelsberg. The Expos heated up the bases with 10 steals and 18 hits, scoring 7 runs. Logan Diamond, Mike West, Chris Dunne, Bradley Ferber, Danny Caligiuri, Samuel Nagelberg, Joshua Schulman and Jason Hoffman made contributions to the 7 runs a in today's grand opening. Manager Jim Dunne and Coach Stu Diamond were proud of their teams opening day blast.

On a beautiful spring evening at Merillon Field, the Devil-Rays defeated the Astros. The Devil-Rays looking sharp in their orange and black uniforms played their first game of this new season, and were in midseason form. All 12 Devil-Ray players contributed to the cause. The defense was tight as a drum, with Joe Carbone, Gabriel Diamond, Andrew Nikolai and Hansel Pacheco covering the infield. The outfield was equally brilliant. Conor Breen, Mitchell Finkel, Tom Jaklitsch, Trevor Kriegel, Harrison Marder and Salman Poonawala all covered it in fine fashion. Andrew Pugliese was the starting pitcher and with the help of his battery mate, Mark Jason, he pitched 3 scoreless innings. The scoring was highlighted with homeruns by Andrew Nikolai and Gabriel Diamond. In their first game together as a team, the Devil-Rays have made this coach very proud! Also many thanks to the hard working volunteers who put Merillon Field in pristine condition! Congratulations to both the Devil Rays and Astros for a fun night of baseball!

On a beautiful evening for baseball Astros were defeated by the Devil Rays. Both teams showed great effort for having limited practices during this unusually cold/raining spring season. The Astros will use this game as a building block for the remainder of the season. Even in a tough defeat the Astros displayed great competitiveness and sportsmanship. Steven Miller and Andrew Goldstein did an admiral job in their pitching debuts. Michael Glaser caught a good game behind the plate driving in the Astros lone run. However, the defensive star of the game was Josh Garfinkel who turned in 2 outstanding plays in the outfield. Paul Goebel, Jake Phillips, John Lee and Jack Murnane showed great promise at the plate. Brandon Abrams, Matt Hershenhorn, Frank Kurre and Robert Thomas played a competitive game displaying good team effort. Boys! its only the first game. Let's play ball, have fun, an play with your hearts. Good luck! Let's have a good season.

The Jays looked strong in their season debut. Dylan on the mound was superb giving up only 3 hits with and 7 strikeouts. The team came out hitting scoring 7 runs in the first 2 innings. Leading the hitting attack were Jimmy going 2 for 3, Stephen F., 3 for 3 with a double, triple and single and some RBI's, Brian going 1 for 2 with a big triple and an RBI, Nick going 1 for 2 with an RBI and a stolen base and Bong going 1 for 2. There was great defense from Charles, John, Stephen P., Mark, Michael and Stephanos. It was a great game which ended up in a tie score of 9 -9. Great job Blue Jays.

The Tigers played to an 9 to 9 tie to a tough Blue Jays squad. We had great pitching from Andrew G and Brent K. Great hitting from Ryan G, Chris I, Matt Z. and John F. Good base running from Chris R. and Vinny L. Great fielding from Andrew K., Peter L. and Ralph S. Great first game Tigers! What a team! Go Tigers!

In a solid opening day effort, the Pirates were able to beat a solid, well coached Reds team 8 - 0.

The team rallied behind solid pitching efforts by surprise starter Dan Schwartz as well as Ethan Kleinberg and closer Gabe Cohen. Solid defensive gems were turned in by Brett Kleinberg who made a 9-6 put out from right. One key play in the game which quelled a Reds rally in the second was a 1-6-3 Pirate double play off a deflection by the pitcher. Offensive highlights include Gabe Cohen who cleared the bases with a Grand Salami, as well as 2 hits from Left Fielder Harrison Strows and key hits from Roantree, Weiner and Schwartz. Max Ginsberg, Nick Driscoll and Alex Weiner added to the solid team effort. Chris Sanchez turned in a solid catching effort as well as adding a hit to the attack. Andy Dittrich was on the disable list with a strep throat. The Orioles are in town Saturday for the Pirates Home opener, standing room only tickets available.

The Reds played their first game on Thursday. The game started well as pitcher Jeremy Bernstein, retired the side after facing just 3 batters in the first inning. We also saw some great pitching by Chris Rocco, Zach Lawrence, Jonathan Davis and Alex Montalvo. Aaron Brenner held his own behind home plate with good fielding by Daniel Coster, Jonathan Shapero, Michael Granieri and Belvin Kuriakose. Although the Reds played well, our competition was fierce for this first game, but a good effort was put forth by all. Great game Reds!

The Pirates beat the Orioles today in the Pirate Home opener to go up 2 - 0 for the season. The sell out crowd saw the well coached Orioles jump out in the 3rd to a 2 - 0 lead. Pirate bats woke up in the bottom half of the frame with 4 to take the lead and never look back. Starter Gabe Cohen pitched well and had good defensive help from Nick Driscoll, Alex Weiner and Dan Schwartz. Chris Sanchez with another outstanding day behind the dish added 3 clutch hits for 7 ribbies as he guided Max Ginsberg through the 4th and Dan Schwartz to close it out. Brett Kleinberg and Alex Weiner each scored 3 runs as well as Ginsberg and Schwartz. Harrison Strows added a couple of RBI's and Chris Casey scored a run. Joey Richards a late call up from the Upper Farms added 2 walks and scored a run. Andy Dittrich was still on the disabled list and is expected to make his 2005 debut on Thurs. when the Astros visit the Pirates at Merillon #1. Pirate fans and season ticket holders are thrilled at the quick Pirate start so far.

On a beautiful opening day for the Orioles they tried their best against a very tough Pirate team. The Orioles jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the hitting of Jonah Mittler, Brad Rutkin and Michael Xia. The Orioles stayed in the game early behind the pitching of Jordan Grossman and his battery mates Anthony Muacchia and Cory Zelniker. Spencer Edelstein and Matthew Gagnon were excellent in the field. It was only one loss and the Orioles have many games remaining. This will be a very good year for the Orioles because we have a great bunch of kids . GO ORIOLES!

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon the Astros played a good Expos team. After the Expos went out to an early lead the Astros just fell short. A great pitching performance was turned in by Jake Phillips. Frank Kurre and Robert Thomas both reached base safely, and showed good hustle on the bases. Andrew Goldstein had a big three run homer to bring the Astros back into the game. Dillon Lopez played a good defensive game along with Josh Garfinkel whose play sparkles in the outfield. Michael Glaser had another fine game behind the plate. Steven Miller, Matt Hershenhorn, Jack Murnane, Paul Goebel and John Lee all played a solid game on the field. Boys with a little more hitting we're there. Let's get those runners home. Good Job Boys!

Dr. Roofeh Blue Jays vs Schwalbach Building Supplies Devil Rays

It was the Blue Jays first loss of the season against a good team. On the mound was Mark who pitched a great game and to relieve him was Dylan Clark. Stephen P. showed us his power with a triple, also Stephen F. had another great week offensively with a double and a walk . Defensively John made a spectacular fly catch in right center and to back him up we had Brian, Nicholas, Jimmy, Bong, Stephanos, Michael and Charles. We will come back and get them next week . This is a great team, let's go Blue Jays!

Strong pitching by Andrew N, and Gabriel D, supported by a homerun by Hansel P. led the Devil Rays past the hard hitting Blue Jays. Once again the Devil Ray defense was great with Trevor K, Conor B, Mitchel F, and Thomas J ( Tom also had 2 booming doubles!) patrolling the outfield. Mark J did the catching, and along with Joe C, and, Andrew P protected the infield. On a summer like day at Merillon, fans and family were treated to a great day of baseball.

The Reds played a good game. Jonathan Davis scored the Reds first run of the season! Mike Granieri did a great job covering a lot of hard hit balls in the outfield with help from Daniel Coster, Jonathan Shapero and Alex Montalvo. The Reds continued playing hard Belvin Kuriakose stole second base and Aaron Brenner stole home. The catchers, Chris Rocco and Aaron Brenner did a terrific job. Zach Lawrence, Jeremy Bernstein, Jonathan Davis and Chris Rocco played the bases superbly. Great game Reds - Keep up the Team Spirit!

In their 1st game of the season the Mariners tried hard but could not overcome a strong Tigers team. Danny Luchino started on the hill and was super collecting his first game ball of the season. Dan had 7 strikeouts along the way. Danny also went 2 for 3, with 1 run scored, 2 stolen bases and an RBI, great game Danny! Leadoff hitter Alex Smith was super going 2 for 3 with 1 RBI; Doug Leff played a great game at catcher and was 2 for 2 with a big triple and 2 stolen bases. Erik Schmid went 1 for 2 making the hit count with an RBI. Brian Dieber went 1 for 2; Sean Byrne went 1 for 1 with a walk, RBI and 4 stolen bases; Kevin Terrero was 1 for 2 with a run scored and 2 stolen bases. Defense gems were turned in by Patrick Theodoropoulos, Jonathan O'Brien, Luis Lopez, Franchesco Terrero and Philip Gonzalez.

On a beautiful night for baseball the Warriors faced the Cyclones and it was a battle. After some 1st inning jitters, in which they handed the winning run over to the Cyclones, the Warriors settled down. John Fitzgerald and Rob Scatorchio were matching goose eggs with Cyclone pitcher Steven Phillips. Patrick McGonigle led the hitting attack with a double and single. Danny Spratt also wielded a hot bat. Matt Dillon, Nicky Clifford, Louis Simione, Harris Rivkin, David Luchino, Matt Miller, Kevin Gagnon and birthday boy Johnny Mahon played a terrific game with solid defense. If this game and the way these 2 teams played is any example, this is going to be an exciting year! Hats off to the Cyclones for a great game and, Go Warriors!

Cyclones edged the Road Warriors in a well played game by a score of 1-0. Both teams played top notch baseball. This game was surely a pitchers dual with both teams sporting tremendous defense. Steven Phillips dominated on the mound with 12 strikeouts, keeping the Road Warriors lineup at bay. Looking great at the plate were Kenny Richards and Chris Kelly. Suring up the defense were Evan Leung, Brian Lackner, Robert Abballe, Daniel Lee, Benjamin Kestenbaum, Scott Friedman, John Macri, and Thomas Salvatico. Looking forward to our next match up against this high class Warriors team.

Although the Bears got off to a rocky start we did show some good potential. We had some good pitching by David R., Bobby Y. and Joe F. Behind the plate and doing a great job were Kevin S. and Sal C. In the field and pulling off a couple of good relays to prevent runners from advancing were Mike T. Chris Theo. Chris D. and Mike L. Hopefully we will have a good season.

Joshua Graber and Tommy Roulis, each had three strong innings on the hill, holding the River Sharks to 2 runs. The Pride offense was led by Nick Tornatore with 1 RBI and a 3 for 3 day at the plate. Taylor Ward (1), Tommy Campbell (2), Jared Root (1) and Josh Graber (1), added to the Pride offense. Strong defense by Drew Carrick, Jordan Friedman, Matt Poppe and Eric Dittmeir sealed the Pride's victory. Way to start Pride!

On a crisp Saturday afternoon, the River Sharks opened their Spring season against the talented Pride. The injury-plagued River Sharks fell behind early in the second, when a combination of errors and bases on balls put the River Sharks in a 4-0 hole. The River Sharks battled through their opening day jitters, and threatened to make it a game by loading the bases and putting the tying run on base in the top 3rd. But the Pride snuffed out any hope of a comeback by holding the River Sharks to only 1 run until the last inning, when the River Sharks scored their 2nd and final run. By then, however, the Pride had added 2 more runs of their own for a 6-2 loss in the Sharks debut. Mike Cascio, Lee Schwarz and call-up John Roofeh had key hits for the Sharks while Steve Curran had a strong pitching debut for the fish.

A gentlemen's game played between two top notch teams. Cyclones jumped out to a 2 nothing lead in the first inning with textbook base running by Steven Phillips and Kenny Richards. Brian Lackner, in a stellar season debut, mixed speeds, sported uncanny control, and struck out 12 in a spectacular pitching performance. Helping his own cause, Brian launched a 2 RBI double in the sixth to seal the victory. Hot at the plate were Chris Kelly and Scott Friedman. Suring up the field were John Macri, Thomas Salvatico, Bradley Reider, Evan Leung, Daniel Lee, and Robert Abballe. Great game Bears and Cyclones!

Bears looked a lot better today going through a nail bitter of a game. A couple of good hits by Dylan B., David R. and Chris Theo. In the fifth inning loaded the bases for us but we were unable to cash in. Great job in the field and keeping this game close was Dylan B. Mike L. and Patrick N. Pitching for the Bears were Mike T. Sal C. and Bobby Y. between them only giving up five hits. This was a great game between both teams.

The Road Warriors dropped their second game of the season against the well coached Ducks this past Saturday. The Ducks pitching kept the Warriors bats quiet all game with our 1 run scoring on the speed of Kevin Gagnon who walked, stole 2nd and 3rd and scampered home on a passed ball. John Fitzgerald did well on the mound. David Luchino relieved John and kept the Duck bats off balance for the final 3 innings. Nicky Clifford, Louis Simione, Matt Dillon, Matt Miller, Danny Spratt, Johnny Mahon, Harris Rivkin and Rob Scatorchio all flashed the leather in keeping us in the game. Patrick McGonigle threw a strike from right field to nail and advancing runner at third. Nice game Warriors, but we can and will do better. Go Warriors!

The Merillon Juniors Mets opened up the season on a high note with a 9-2 victory on this crisp Saturday afternoon. The Mets jumped out to an early lead on a tough Westbury team and never looked back. Mark Amber and Michael Pucci were brilliant on the hill. They were backed up with awesome defense with key plays turned in by Mike Marsigliano, Zach Grossman, Robert Fauci, Harold Gagnon, Dan Puglia. Derek Clifford and Matt Williams were stellar behind the plate. The offensive barrage came off the bats of Jeff Salusto, Pat Gagnon, Ryan Puglia and Gabe Gonzalas. Way to go Mets!

Dr. Lorusso-Pesiri's "Racers" had a tough opening night game against a talented Mineola 8year old team. The highlight of the night was the debut's of two up and coming stars, Krista Solecito and Maria Pesiri who both got their first little league hits. Alessandra Barilli also a rookie played a great defensive and offensive game. Although this team is the youngest in their division they will no doubt give every team a run for their money. Go Racers!

The Heat had a well attended season opener against Mineola on Friday night despite a muddy field and some chilly temperatures. The Heat played exceptional defense with Keeley McGrath and Kiera Ward behind the plate. Jessica Donofrio, Laura Roantree, Cara Mattioli and Katie Mahon all fielded well and covered their positions. Emily Abel, Tara Sirotkin, Vishali Sehgal and Nicole Rossello rounded out the infield making several plays from the pitcher's positions. The offense was also impressive with almost all the girls reaching base at some point during the game. Thank you to all the family members and friends for coming out to cheer the girls on. Great first game girls!

On opening day the Juggernauts came out ready to play behind strong pitching by Katie, Jessica, and Jennifer. The offense was supplied by Eileen, Maggie, Lauren, Julia, and Stephanie. The Juggernauts defense by Nicole and Melissa was outstanding. Hats off to Mineola for showing great sportsmanship.