by Tucker Terranova
Final | Carey 2, Bellmore JFK 5
The Cougars take Games 3, clinching their second consecutive trip to the Nassau Class AA Finals and a matchup against Garden City. pic.twitter.com/BjppKxV1Rm
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2025
Pitchers like Derek Yormack don’t come around often.
That’s why, when Bellmore JFK head coach Mike Gattus handed the sophomore right-hander the ball in a do-or-die game three with a trip to the Nassau County finals on the line, he knew exactly what he was getting.
“Derek was special today—as he’s been for us all year and in his career,” Gattus told Axcess Baseball after the game. “We had all the momentum possible after game two, and he carried it on.”
Yormack delivered 5.1 innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out 10—including the 150th strikeout of his high school career—leading Bellmore JFK to a 5-2 victory over Carey on Monday.
After dropping the opener of the three-game set, the Cougars responded with a 17-3 win in game two on Saturday before closing it out on their home field, punching their ticket to a second consecutive County Finals appearance.
“Our guys have been resilient all year,” Gattus said. “Going into each game, our mentality has been to keep the season going one more day. We had an unbelievable pitching performance Saturday from sophomore Max Goodman, which rolled into today.”
The Bellmore JFK bats broke through in the third. Aaron Zacharia opened the scoring with a line-drive RBI single to right, followed by an Eli Lowenstein sacrifice fly to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead.
That cushion grew in the fifth, when Alex Demas roped a two-run double off the right-field wall to make it 4-0 and give Yormack some breathing room.
“The runs were huge,” said Yormack. “It settles me down knowing we’ve got support.”
Derek Yormack discusses what worked for him on the mound, leading the Cougars back to the County Finals. pic.twitter.com/4u0qEQqKcb
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2025
Carey finally pushed back in the sixth. After two batters reached, Gattus turned to junior Zach Adelstein—Friday’s Game 1 starter—on short rest. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and an RBI single from Joseph Camarda trimmed the deficit to 4-2, but Adelstein settled in quickly.
“Him taking the ball in relief, having never done it all year—that shows you the kind of competitor he is,” Gattus said. ““He’s a super athlete and an unbelievable kid. You saw how fiery he was today.”
Adelstein recorded the final five outs to earn the save, striking out three and allowing just two hits in 1.2 shutout innings. Lowenstein tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with his second RBI of the game to make it 5-2.
With the win, Bellmore JFK advances to the County Finals for the second straight year, looking to rewrite the ending after falling to Levittown Division in 2024.
For Yormack—returning to Nassau’s biggest stage as an underclassman—he believes there will be added motivation after last season’s sour ending.
“It feels amazing to be going back,” he said. “We can’t wait.”
The Cougars will take on Garden City in a three-game series beginning Thursday.
