Mineola Baseball Sweeps Floral Park 6-3

The Mineola varsity baseball team (4-2, 4-3) won its second game in as many days defeating Floral Park (0-8, 0-9) by a score of 6-3 on Friday afternoon .

The Mustangs took the opener of the series 10-1 yesterday on the road, completing a sweep of the two-game Conference A-V/VI crossover season series.

Junior right hander Anthony Riccardi recorded his first varsity win, scattering seven hits and striking out a pair over five innings of work. Sophomore Nico Cerame fanned two batters over two innings of scoreless relief to pick up the save for the Mustangs.

Coach Helms Bohringer attributed the team’s success to his pitchers ability to keep the base on balls to a minimum and defense.

“We try to notice certain pitches they like to throw in certain counts,” Bohringer said. “You don’t necessarily have to be the fastest runner to steal a base. But, if you’re a smart baserunner, you can take advantage.”

Between Riccardi and Cerame, only two free passes were issued with the defense recording 19 of the 21 defensive outs. Leftfielder Craig Weber shined defensively, hauling in three of the last six outs of the ball game to keep Floral Park winless on the season.

Catcher Billy Sullivan fueled the Mustangs on offense with some timely hitting in the bottom of the fifth. With Mineola clinging to a 4-3 lead, Sullivan collected his second hit of the afternoon, driving a ball up the middle for a two-run single.   

The Mustangs top of the lineup wreaked havoc on the base paths, drawing the praise of Coach Bohringer following the victory.

“The top of my lineup is a very good lineup,” Coach Bohringer said. “I’ll put my top of the lineup against anybody. If we can get people on and hit the way we’re capable of, we’ll be very competitive.”

The Mustangs ran wild on Floral Park, converting three stolen bases in the first into a pair of runs to give Riccardi a 2-0 lead. With Craig Weber and firstbaseman Jimmy Bulva at the corners with one out, Weber scored on a delayed steal as Bulva swiped second with ease.

The senior firstbaseman wreaked havoc on the base paths, stealing second and third base following his first inning, racing home to plate the second run of the inning on a passed ball. The 6’6 senior finished 2-4 on the day with a run scored and RBI to go along with two stolen bases. As a team, Mineola swiped five bags and the aggressive baserunning suits Bohringer’s style of play.

With the aggressive stance Bohringer is counting on the opposing pitcher losing focus on a batter and miss a location if the runners are moving. He also noted the pressure that is put on defenses when running the bases aggressively.

The strategy set up the Billy Sullivan two run single as secondbaseman Nick Palma started the inning with a single and a quick swipe of second. Palma and rightfielder Steve O’Conner came across as the insurance runs off the bat of Sullivan in the fifth.

With Mineola leading 6-3, Bohringer turned the ball over to the hard throwing Cerame for the sixth. The sophomore righty fanned the first batter he saw and played a little pitch and catch with outfielder Craig Weber. After two singles put the tying run at the plate, Weber tracked down two hard hit balls in left for the second and final out of the inning.

Floral Park wiggled out of trouble in the bottom of the sixth after Mineola loaded the bases before Cerame flied out to end the Mustangs threat.

Leading by three, Cerame forced a ground out to shortstop Tom Ward and a strikeout to start the final frame. A Floral Park base hit and balk by Cerame forced a visit from Coach Bohringer for a breather.

Bohringer later said he wanted to calm Cerame down, for him to focus on throwing strikes with Mineola staked to a three run lead and to pitch to the defense which had made some key outs despite Floral Park’s nine hits.

Cerame promptly ended the game with a fly ball to Weber. 

The win moves Mineola to 4-2 in Conference A-VI as Floral Park drops to 0-8 in Conference A-V. The Mustangs are set to cross over again at home on Monday . Coach Bohringer expects RHP John Caputo to toe the slab with Bulva to pitch the second game of the series .