by Joe Bello
Eddie Sanderson of Pro Diamond Rangers following their 9-4 win over Empire.
He went 5 innings on the mound, allowing 4 runs in the 1st and then firing 4 scoreless to keep his team in the game.
Also had the go-ahead hit in the win in the 3rd, a 2-RBI double. pic.twitter.com/7A5o2NT89h
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 22, 2025
Island Trees High School in Levittown played host to a LI Boys of Summer 14u American Division matchup on Monday night. Long Island Empire Black and Pro Diamond Rangers faced off in the action packed game.
The Pro Diamond Rangers would come away victorious in this one, winning by a score of 9-4 but the game was closer than the score makes it seem. Let’s recap how we got to this point.
The 6pm game started off with Mike Bernius toeing the slab for Empire in what would be a bullpen day for the squad. Bernius stranded two Rangers runners to end the top of the first innings on back to back strikeouts.
Meanwhile on the flipside of things Eddie Sanderson was on the hill for the Rangers. The bottom half of the first would be filled with offense for the Empire, as they jumped to a 4-0 lead. Dom McKenna drove in the first run off of an RBI fielder’s choice. Then Sean Rahner would knock two more runs in with a hard groundball ripped down the line. Rahner would cruise into second with a double, and was brought in as the Empire’s fourth run by Quinn Provitera, who showed off some great 2-out, 2-strike hitting with an RBI single.
Ballgame over, Rangers win 9-4 over the Empire as the sunsets here in Levittown. pic.twitter.com/KJ3941ZsIT
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 22, 2025
The Rangers wouldn’t go down easy though, as they were quick to answer the Empire’s first inning efforts. Griffin O’Neill reached first on a walk and then stole second and third base putting him only 90 feet from getting his team on the board. The next batter Finn Brown would do just that, as he ripped an RBI single up the middle to make it a 4-1 ballgame. Another run would come in to score on a first and third play where the Empire catcher threw the ball into center field.
Sanderson took the mound once again in the 2nd and was excellent the rest of the way, holding the Empire offense to only 3 hits and 2 walks through his next 4 innings of work. Read Sanderson’s thoughts on his efforts in a bit.
The Rangers offense wasn’t done yet in this one though. As in the top of the 3rd they would tack on 3 more runs to take a 5-4 lead over the Empire. An RBI fielder’s choice hit by O’Neill put them within 1 and then it would be Sanderson, helping himself out, with a smoked 2-RBI double down the right field line.
There wouldn’t be much action between either team until the top of the sixth inning, where the Rangers would plate a few insurance runs leading them to the eventual 9-4 victory. Leadoff hitter Gabe Gennawey ripped an RBI single into the outfield to make it a 6-4 game. Then two errors would plate the next 3 runs to give the Rangers their last 3 of the game.
Ben Butler came in to close the game for the Rangers and apart from walking two batters, was solid. He shut the door and finished off the job for Sanderson, giving the Rangers the W.
Axcess Baseball spoke to Sanderson following the game.
After a tough first inning where he allowed 4 runs, Sanderson was asked what he did to stay locked in and throw four scoreless innings to keep his team in the game.
“I just stopped thinking, and I just started throwing strikes.” Sanderson said with a grin. “That’s just what I had to do.”
When asked what was working out there for him on the mound, his answer was simple.
“My fastball, because I mixed up the speeds, and it was really working.” He said.
Not only doing it on the mound, Sanderson was also a big part of his team’s offense, notching the go-ahead hit with that 2-RBI double in the 3rd inning.
“I was just looking for a hit,” He said, “I was in a little bit of a slump before this but now I feel good.”
The Empire couldn’t strike back once Sanderson gave his team the lead. The Rangers improve to a record of 6-5-1 while the Empire fall to 8-10 in the 14u American Division following the contest.
