by Trevor Dugan
Commack punches their ticket to the playoffs with a gritty win against league champ Connetquot
FINAL: Commack 4 – Connetquot 2 pic.twitter.com/9AbkHKrPUZ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 13, 2025
The defending Long Island champion Commack Cougars punched their ticket to the playoffs Tuesday with a thrilling win over the League II regular season champion Connetquot Thunderbirds.
Entering the game with a 9-6 record, the Cougars faced their toughest opponent yet in the 14-1 Thunderbirds. On the road at Connetquot High School, Commack started Chris Messina on the mound, his first game back on the hill after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.
Connetquot went with Dylan Wilkinson for this intra-division rivalry matchup, a RHP committed to Saint Thomas Aquinas. Wilkinson would pitch the entire game for the Thunderbirds.
The Cougars wasted no time jumping out to a lead. After a leadoff single by freshman catcher Robbie Mascia, he was bunted over to second, then scored on a throwing error as he attempted to steal third base. Wilkinson avoided further damage, but the Cougars had manufactured a run to lead 1-0 after the top of the first.
Messina came out for the bottom of the frame, and looked to be in midseason form despite this being his first start since returning from TJ surgery. He fired a shutdown inning capped by a 6-4-3 double play, and was fired up as his team ran in to bat once again.
Wilkinson settled in after his unlucky first inning, and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the second to put his offense right back to work.
Not wanting to stretch their newly healed pitcher, Commack brought in RHP Justin Pagan in relief of Messina in the bottom of the second. Pagan inherited a runner from Messina, but he was thrown out trying to reach third base thanks to a fantastic throw by Commack RF Ryan Scheinman. Pagan kept Connetquot scoreless heading into the third inning
Scheinmann turned right around and laced a leadoff single to begin the third. He was bunted over to second, then Mascia ripped his second single of the game to put runners on the corners. SS Cooper Schramm drove Scheinmann in with a base hit to left to put Commack up 2-0. Schramm finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, the only Cougar besides Mascia with multiple hits Tuesday.
Wilkinson once again escaped the ensuing jam to minimize the damage, keeping things close for the Thunderbirds’ offense.
Connetquot had trouble hitting with runners on base throughout this game. Two batters reached base including the leadoff man in the bottom of the third , but clutch pitching by Pagan once again held them scoreless. Pagan would finish with 1.2 innings pitched with no runs or walks allowed, and one strikeout.
The top of the fourth was another 1-2-3 for Wilkinson. Despite Connetquot’s offensive struggles, Wilkinson seemed locked in on the mound and was full of enthusiasm each time he came back into the dugout.
Robbie Mascia tacks on another run with an RBI double to right field. The freshman is 3-3 so far on the day
Commack 3 – Connetquot 0
Mid fifth pic.twitter.com/zQDk3mv8Yt— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 13, 2025
RHP Jake Fragola entered in relief of Pagan in the bottom of the fourth, and promptly tossed a 1-2-3 inning of his own. Commack still held onto a 2-0 lead through four innings.
After a leadoff single, Mascia struck again for Commack in the top of the fifth, driving in Anthony Antarino with an RBI double to right, his third hit of the day. Mascia would finish 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
It was more of the same for Connetquot in the bottom of the fifth, as Fragola allowed one single and forced three flyouts. The Thunderbirds’ offense was simply unable to crack the Commack pitching staff until they finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth.
A pair of RBI singles, this one by Santino Capozzda, brings Connetquot to within one heading into the final inning
Commack 3 – Connetquot 2
End sixth pic.twitter.com/Ml3X6JK5of— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 13, 2025
Eight batters came to the plate for Connetquot in the sixth. The first two batters grounded out to third base, and it was looking like a Commack shutout was likely. Then the bats came alive with five straight singles, the third of which was the first RBI of the game for the Thunderbirds coming off the bat of DJ Fillipone. Following his RBI, an infield single loaded the bases for Santino Capozzola, who delivered for Connetquot with another RBI single to cut Commack’s lead to just 3-2.
With the tying run on third base and two outs, the Connetquot coaching staff opted to give the sign for a suicide squeeze. The bunt was pushed a bit too hard however, directly back to the pitcher, and Commack was able to escape by the skin of their teeth with their 3-2 lead still intact.
Commack added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when Scheiner scored his second run of the game on a throwing error as the Thunderbirds tried turning a double play. Scheiner finished the day 1-2 with a walk and two runs scored, and gave Commack a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame.
Despite his shaky sixth inning, Commack trusted Sam Kay to go out and attempt the two inning save. Kay did not disappoint, hurling a scoreless seventh inning and capping off a great performance by the Commack pitching staff.
Despite the loss, Dylan Wilkinson pitched very well himself, pitching all seven innings for Connetquot while allowing four runs, two of which scored on errors, and just one walk.
The player of the game was an easy choice. Robbie Mascia led all players with three hits, scored the game’s first run and recorded an important RBI in the fifth inning. He spoke to Axcess Baseball following the win and described his team’s mindset heading into this high stakes matchup.
“We knew Connetquot won the league, but we believe in our bats, believe in our arms, believe in our fielding, so all we had to do was go out there, win one more, and win with grit,” Mascia said postgame.
“We know they were 14-1 but the record doesn’t really matter right now. In a baseball game anything can happen.”
Commack and Connetquot will play two more games this week to wrap up the regular season. With both teams advancing to the playoffs, it’s very likely they could meet again for a postseason matchup. As Commack gears up to defend their Long Island title, the talented league champions Connetquot will be seeking to dethrone them as the top team on the Island. It should be a very interesting postseason.
