Division
Recap of Nassau County Semifinals
Yesterday was Game 1 of the Nassau County semifinals for each Conference. I won’t say it was filled with thrilling games (because three of them were run-rules), but it was certainly filled with outstanding individual performances. I bounced around like a mad man from Massapequa to Island Trees to Division. It took until my third stop to find a competitive game so I’m thankful I continued to search. Here’s a breakdown of each: Massapequa 10, Oceanside 0 Carter DeSousa with a walk-off single as Massapequa wins via run-rule 10-0 over Oceanside in Game 1 of the Nassau Conference I semifinals. They’ll be back at it tomorrow for Game 2 pic.twitter.com/zbgu3SYQlc — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2021 This one was over in the first inning when Massapequa knoc...
Mike Knapp Fans 13, Division Holds Off Manhasset, 3-2
Final: Division 3, Manhasset 2 WP: Mike Knapp (5 IP, 13 K) James Sill had go-ahead RBI single pic.twitter.com/fzPt8dqAHd — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 11, 2021 Inning after inning, Division was able to narrowly hold onto their lead over Manhasset. First starting pitcher Mike Knapp and then reliever Frank Vespa made pitches when their backs were firmly against the wall. They left runners at the corners in the first inning and the third inning, stranded bases loaded in the fourth inning and the sixth inning and runners at 2nd & 3rd in the 7th. They held on by the skin of their teeth by the score of 3-2. Division’s Head Coach Tom Tuttle said that’s what they expect from their staff: “At Division that’s what our pitchers are expected to do – we ta...
Tom Tuttle Enters 13th Season Leaning On Inexperienced Bunch
Division is headed back to the County Championship for the second year in a row! FINAL: Division 5 Bethpage 1 (F/14) pic.twitter.com/1DZ0DqayCK — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2019 The irony about the 2021 season is that –at least in the beginning – the best programs may be at the biggest disadvantage. While it may sound hard to believe, it’s because of the cancellation last year. The strongest programs in 2019 typically featured senior-laden teams. Those players have all since graduated and the current seniors all played JV or earned modest playing time in 2019. Division is one of the strongest programs on Long Island. They have made the County Finals six of the previous 12 seasons and have made the postseason every year since 1974. Head Coach Tom Tuttle, ...
OTD: Division Clinches Second Consecutive County Championship Berth Behind 14-Inning Win
Division is headed back to the County Championship for the second year in a row! FINAL: Division 5 Bethpage 1 (F/14) pic.twitter.com/1DZ0DqayCK — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2019 It took 14 innings and 3.5 hours, but the Division Blue Dragons are headed back to the County Championship. In the longest postseason game of 2019, they came out on top over Bethpage by a score of 5-1. Throughout this ballgame, it was truly a “game of inches.” In the bottom of the 7th inning, Bethpage trailed by one run. This was where the fun began. Bethpage tied the game at 1-1, with the game winning run on 3rd with one out. On an infield ground ball. Ryan Spreckles slapped down the tag on what would’ve been the winning run at home, keeping the game tied. This forced endless extra innings. To be...
Division Enters 2020 Highly Motivated
by Joseph Langan With a record of 20-3, Coach Tom Tuttle and his Division High School Dragons found themselves playing for the Class A County Championship title for the second consecutive year. Riding hot on a nine-game winning streak Division seemed unstoppable, that was until they matched up with the Clarke High School Rams. Clarke put out Division’s fire in the best of three title games. Coach Tuttle, disappointed by the leadership in his key senior players, knows that to be successful a good core of leaders is one of the most important parts of his team. “We played our two worst games at the most important time of the year. After our loss to Clarke in the finals last season the major issue we had was a direct result of the poor leadership from some of our seniors. We had some seniors ...
Here’s What Tom Tuttle Had To Say On This Week’s Podcast
It’s hard to fathom, but Division HS has not missed a postseason since 1974. Simply put, they are one of the elite programs on Long Island and much of that has to do with the coaching. Dating back to the late Doug Robins, they have always been a well-disciplined and prepared team. Now under Tom Tuttle, the same can be said. If you didn’t have time to listen to the 26 minute interview with him, here’s a recap of what he had to say.. Regarding 2019 season -Really proud of his guys, played great all year. -Played worst two games at the most critical part of the season after taking 1-0 series lead over Clarke in County Championship. They committed 13 errors and walked 9 guys in those two games. -Clarke was tremendously well-coached. They compound on your mistakes. WantaghR...
Get To Know Nick Roselli
Nick Roselli is a left-handed batter with a sweet swing and a smooth glove in the infield. More importantly, he has proven himself to be a winning ballplayer that is a menace on the base paths. He announced his verbal commitment to Sacred Heart University last week, becoming the latest 2021 grad to come off the board. I had a chance to talk to him, and here’s what he had to say… Can you explain your experience with the college recruiting process and why you chose Sacred Heart? Tom Downey, Travis Quattrini and the rest of the Titans’ organization does a great job of making sure we play in the right tournaments with the most exposure. Every tournament we played in, there were multiple colleges at every one of our games. Coach Tuttle and Coach Robins, from Divi...
Clarke Captures First County Championship Since 2013
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013, THE CLARKE RAMS ARE COUNTY CHAMPIONS!!!! FINAL: Clarke 7 Division 0 pic.twitter.com/pWdOtzXJB7 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 3, 2019 For the first time since 2013, the Clarke Rams are Class A County Champions. On Monday afternoon, Clarke blanked Division, 7-0, in the do-or-die game three. From the start of this game, it was never really close. Judging by the atmosphere on both sides of the stands and the pitching match up, it seemed this was going to be a close game. However, it never was. Colin Diez was handed the ball for Division and Chris Lydon got the start for Clarke. In the bottom of the 1st, Matt DeStefano gave Clarke an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to left field. Chris Lydon helped himself out, driving in a run in the bottom of the...
Division Clinches Second Consecutive County Championship Berth Behind 14-Inning Win
Division is headed back to the County Championship for the second year in a row! FINAL: Division 5 Bethpage 1 (F/14) pic.twitter.com/1DZ0DqayCK — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2019 It took 14 innings and 3.5 hours, but the Division Blue Dragons are headed back to the County Championship. In the longest postseason game of 2019, they came out on top over Bethpage by a score of 5-1. Throughout this ballgame, it was truly a “game of inches.” In the bottom of the 7th inning, Bethpage trailed by one run. This was where the fun began. Bethpage tied the game at 1-1, with the game winning run on 3rd with one out. On an infield ground ball. Ryan Spreckles slapped down the tag on what would’ve been the winning run at home, keeping the game tied. This forced endless ex...
Bethpage Dominates VSN 15-1 To Advance
FINAL: Bethpage 15 VSN 1 Bethpage is headed to the semifinals! pic.twitter.com/Mm65QFvns5 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 21, 2019 With the season on the line, Bethpage annihilated Valley Stream North on Tuesday afternoon by a score of 15-1. Bethpage advances to the Class A semifinals with the victory. After posting a scoreless top of the 1st inning, Bethpage wasted no time manhandling their opponents. With two men on and nobody out, Pete Schimmel launched a three-run home run to give Bethpage a 3-0 lead in the blink of an eye. Brody Paola tacked onto Schimmel’s home run with an RBI of his own. Then, things got ugly. Following the four-run 1st inning, the Bethpage bats exploded even more in the 2nd inning. They scratched across six runs on this occasion, expanding the lead...
Division Blanks Seaford 9-0, Clinches Semifinals Berth
Colin Diez is the @BsbLifestyle101 player of the game after firing a complete game shutout allowing just three hits. He also had three hits at the plate with an RBI. pic.twitter.com/AmLeCTVFL9 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 20, 2019 Once again, the Division Blue Dragons are headed back to the semifinals. On Monday afternoon, Division dominated Seaford, shutting them out 9-0. From the beginning of this game, it was never really close. The Division lineup wasted no time getting to the Seaford pitching staff on the mound, as Matt Cavanagh, Colin Diez and Hunter Traenkle all ripped singles to begin the bottom of the 1st. This gave them an early 2-0 lead. The entire Division lineup continued to display their hot bats as the game went on. Mike Sullivan, Hunter Traenkle and Joe Natale...
