by Tucker Terranova
Final | Carey 4, Bellmore JFK 1
Carey goes up 1-0 in the series thanks to four runs in the first two frames and excellent pitching from Jack Degnan. pic.twitter.com/ngceklEDXw
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2025
After falling to Bellmore JFK in last year’s Nassau County Class AA semifinals, there was no question Carey took the field with added motivation in Friday’s rematch.
Despite a taxed pitching staff following a three-game quarterfinal series, Seahawks head coach Doug Robins handed the ball to senior Jack Degnan—who rewarded that trust with a dominant outing. Degnan tossed a complete game and delivered at the plate, leading No. 4 Carey past top-seeded Bellmore JFK, 4-1, in a brisk 102-minute opener of the best-of-three semifinal series.
“Jack is a senior who’s been with us for three years,” Robins said. “We had a nice battle with Levittown Division, so we had to use a lot of arms. He was the next guy up.”
Degnan embodied Carey’s “Next Man Up” mindset. Nine of the team’s 10 baserunners came from the bottom half of the lineup (spots 5 through 9), but it was a leadoff swing that set the tone.
Nick Medoro wasted no time, launching the first pitch of the game over the right-field fence for a solo home run and a quick 1-0 Carey lead.
“We’ve seen this team and this pitcher a few times going back to last year,” Robins said. “We knew we had to attack early.”
Staked to the early lead, Degnan found a groove. The right-hander worked around back-to-back singles in the first inning and then settled in, retiring the next two Cougars.
Jack Degnan helps himself with a bases-clearing double off the right center field fence.
Top 2 | Carey 4, Bellmore JFK 0 pic.twitter.com/CLZtjB310R
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2025
“Everything was working for me today,” Degnan said. “My changeup and slider were great, I had great command, was getting ahead early, and executing first-pitch strikes.”
He helped his own cause in the second inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Degnan drove a fastball to the top of the right-center field fence for a bases-clearing double, extending Carey’s lead to 4-0. It was one of two hits for the pitcher, who finished with three RBIs.
“Adelstein is a good pitcher with a good slider, so I was just hunting the fastball,” Degnan said. “I got one I could handle and was able to do some damage.”
With a cushion in hand, Degnan and Bellmore JFK’s Zach Adelstein traded scoreless frames over the next three innings. Degnan needed just 58 pitches to get through five innings before the Cougars broke through in the sixth.
Vito Mannino led off the frame with a double that scraped the right-center fence. Frankie Stella followed with a single to put runners on the corners with one out. Pinch-hitter Alex Demas delivered an RBI single to get Bellmore JFK on the board.
But Degnan regrouped quickly, retiring the next two batters to end the threat. He then worked a clean seventh to cap his complete-game effort and move Carey within one win of a return to the county finals.
The Seahawks will try to close out the series Saturday at 11 a.m. on their home field. If necessary, Game 3 is scheduled for Monday at Bellmore JFK.
