Mineola Baseball Swept 9-2 by Island Trees

Mineola (4-4, 4-5) dropped its second consecutive game against Island Trees (5-2, 7-2) Wednesday afternoon, 9-2 in the rubber game of a Conference A-V/A-VI crossover in Levittown.

Bulldogs starter Mike Jeannetti sparkled against Mineola, tossing six shutout innings while allowing only two hits and one walk. Righty pitcher Jim Bulva started for the Mustangs, allowing six runs on six hits while striking out seven in 3.2 innings of work and took the loss.

Mineola has been outscored 29-4 in the series, with the Bulldogs scoring a season-high 20 runs in Monday’s meeting.

Despite the final score, the opening frames were squarely a battle of aces as both pitchers held the opposing offense scoreless through the first three innings. Bulva simply overpowered the Bulldogs hitters, striking out the side in the first after scattering a hit and a walk. Jeannetti matched Bulva’s efforts, setting the side down in order in the first frame.

Bulva picked up a strikeout after erasing a leadoff walk with a nifty pickoff of Jeannetti to end the second.

After surrendering the first Mineola hit of the afternoon, Jeannetti stranded Tom Ward at second base with solid defense from secondbaseman James Ragusa.

The Mineola senior continued to stifle the Bulldogs offense from atop the mound, picking up his fifth strikeout of the game along with picking off his second base runner in the third. Bulva is “one of the top pitchers in the county” according to Bulldogs Head Coach Joe D’Auria.

“We had a hard time early on with our approach,” D’Auria said. “He was painting his fastball away.”

However, Bulva blinked first in this pitcher’s duel allowing six runs and five hits in the fourth inning as the Bulldogs finally broke through. The 6’6” righty was touched for three consecutive hits to start the fourth, including two doubles and a single to plate the first runs for Island Trees.

Chris Cutrone delivered the biggest blow of the inning with a bases clearing double that put the Bulldogs up 3-0 before Bulva was lifted.

Coach D’Auria noticed Bulva’s a dropp in velocity during the frame, crediting his team for working the count and driving up the pitch count throughout the game.

“I noticed late in the game that his velocity dropped,” he said. “We had some great at bats early. We got his pitch count up and sort of wore him down.”

The offensive outburst would prove to be all the run support Jeannetti and Island Treeswould need as Mineola was stifled on offense. D’Auria called Jeannetti’s performance the key to the victory.

“He didn’t have his really good fastball today but he kept us in the game,” D’Auria said. “He put zeros up for six innings. We got him out in the seventh to save him for later on.”

The Bulldogs were able to scratch across four more runs with two outs in the fourth, and Coach D’Auria commended his team for clutch hitting after dropping close games to Clarke last week.

“Our recipe for success is starting pitching, defense and situational hitting,” he said. “We’re right where we want to be to win our league title.”

Mineola Head Coach Helms Bohringer called on sophomore Nick Cerame to end the explosive fourth inning from the Bulldogs with a punch-out of Jeannetti. Cerame went on to surrender two long balls in the bottom of the fifth with one being assisted by centerfielder John Caputo.

Mike Witteck drove a Cerame fastball to deep center and as Caputo chased down the deep fly, the ball glanced off his glove and went up and over the wall for the home run. Caputo crashed into the makeshift white fence at Island Trees as the umpires signaled for a home run. Two batters later, Cerame served up another long ball to Kyle Nigro to deep left center.

Mineola avoided the shutout after pinch-hitter Mike Cerueira launched a two-run bomb to straight away centerfield with two outs in the final at bats for Mineola.

The Mustangs will look to rebound when they return to action at home on Monday afternoon against Clarke.

W- Jeanetti

L- Bulva

HR- Cerquiera (1); Nigro (1), Witteck (1).