by Tucker Terranova
Final: Seaford 6, Plainedge 2
The Vikings knock out top-seeded Plainedge and advance to the County Finals for the first time since 2023! pic.twitter.com/pFW0mkhgMw
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025
Getting no-hit in the opening game of a best-of-three semifinal series is far from ideal. But having been in the same situation during the quarterfinal round against Clarke, Seaford knew what it would take to pull off a comeback.
The No. 3 seed bounced back the only way it knew how—shutting out top-seeded Plainedge in Game 2, then sealing the series with a 6-2 win in Saturday’s rubber match. The victory sends the Vikings to the Nassau Class A county finals for the first time since their 2023 title run.
“We just want to keep playing with our seniors,” junior Dylan Alt said. “We’re now 4-0 in elimination games, so we just wanted to keep this going.”
Seaford leaned on dominant pitching for the second straight game. After Thomas Apollo tossed a complete-game shutout in Game 2, Alt followed with a commanding start in Game 3, and Jordan Cassuto closed the door with a 2 1/3-inning save.
“We have the best pitching coach in the county in Mike Sweeney, who still came to all three games after having a serious procedure done a week ago,” Seaford head coach Mike Milano said. “Without depth, winning in the playoffs becomes very hard to do with the Class A baseball format. Our depth proved to be invaluable this series.”
Alt set the tone early, retiring four of the first five batters he faced and recovering from a pair of walks by picking off a runner and recording a key strikeout to end the second inning.
“I got shelled the last time I pitched against Plainedge,” Alt said. “I changed things up—pitching backward most of the game—which helped me get the job done.”
Dylan Alt (left) and Matt Kind (right) talk about their standout performances and what it means for their program to make a return to the Nassau County Finals. pic.twitter.com/HaESynD5gI
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025
His brilliance wasn’t limited to the mound. With the Vikings leading 1-0—thanks to a second-inning run sparked by Cassuto scoring on a Plainedge throwing error—Alt helped his own cause, launching a solo homer to right-center to double the lead.
“When you watch him play baseball as much as I have, you realize Dylan is a generational talent,” Milano said. “Seaford High School hit the lottery by getting Dylan Alt. He is as much a ballplayer as anyone I’ve ever had here.”
Alt pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, one run, walking three and striking out four on 97 pitches. At the plate, he went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
Plainedge answered in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit to 2-1 on an RBI single by Jack Kregeloh. In response, Milano went to the bullpen, handing the ball to Cassuto, who held the Red Devils in check.
Matthew Kind breaks it open, hammering a grand slam to dead center, as Seaford takes a 6-1 lead to the ninth.
Top 7 | Seaford 6, Plainedge 1 pic.twitter.com/VPqdGFVG9I
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025
Seaford rewarded Cassuto with more insurance in the seventh. With the bases loaded and the game still within reach, Matthew Kind stepped in. Already on base twice, the junior delivered the dagger—a towering grand slam to center that bounced off the football bleachers and put the game out of reach.
“I just took a deep breath and tried to square one up,” Kind said.
Taylor Nitsch added a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh for Plainedge, but it was too little, too late.
Cassuto, who earned the save, allowed just one hit (Nitsch’s homer) and struck out two to seal the win.
With the comeback series win, Seaford returns to the Class A county finals, where it will look to capture the second championship in program history.
“It feels great to be going back to the county finals,” Kind said. “Getting to play with our seniors one more time is amazing—we don’t want this season to end.”
