The Mustangs went all out in the come from behind 8 inning thriller. Down 4 - 0 after a shaky first inning the Mustangs settled down and played brilliant defense behind the fantastic pitching of Alex Katz who went 6 innings, while fanning 9 Wildcats. He was followed on the mound by Danny Luchino who also worked his pitching magic to keep the Wildcats within range. With the score 4 - 3 Wildcats, Danny Luchino led off the 6th inning with a booming triple to right field. Danny scored on a ground out by Matt Hirshon to tie the score at 4 each. Twice with the bases loaded the Mustangs were able to escape defeat by ending the Wildcats rallies, once in the 5th inning and again in the 7th inning. However the Wildcats loaded the bases again in the 8th on 2 walks and a single setting the stage for a thrilling ending. With 1 out and the bases juiced the Wildcat batter launch a fly ball to right field where Brian Renta was waiting for the ball. Brian grabbed the fly ball for the 2nd out and fired a strike to catcher Aaron Brenner who could not handle the big hop allowing the winning run to score.  The loss was a hard one to handle but the boys played a fine game and captured 2nd place in the Williston Park Mayors Trophy Tournament. The coaches and parents are extremely proud of the Mustangs ball players. The Mustangs are, Aaron Brenner, Joey Carbone, Matthew Hirshon, Alex Katz, Danny Luchino, Stephen Popovich, Andrew Pugliese, Brian Renta, Michael Ring, Nicholas Simeoli, Patrick Theodoropoulos and Ben Todaro. Great Game and Great Season! Hats off to the Champion Wildcats!

  back to top

A year ago at this time, the Merillon 8 year old All Star team won the HBQVB baseball tournament in dramatic fashion, coming behind in the final inning to defeat a tough Island Trees team.

Flash forward a year. They’re 9 now, and they’ve done it again. Only this time drama was replaced by domination. With all phases of their game clicking, Merillon’s All Stars won 8 consecutive games without defeat en route to their second straight HBQVB championship.

For good measure, they also won 5 consecutive games against strong competition in the Mid-Island tournament. That’s 13 consecutive victories in 2005, on the heels of 6 straight wins in 2004, and back-to-back championships!

19 in a row and repeat champions! Think these kids are good? Ask Plainview, Franklin Square, Plainedge, Merrick, Seaford, Floral Park, Manhasset, Oceanside, Port Washington, Ozone Park-Howard Beach, Central Nassau, Long Island Express, and Hicksville, all of whom played valiantly but went down to defeat at the hands of Merillon’s All Stars.

How did they do it? It started with the hard work and dedication of their manager Jimmy Richards, and coaches Andy Kostel, Eamon Ward and Lori Carrick. The staff did a phenomenal job, not only in preparing the kids for this summer, but in guiding them through each play of every victory. Almost every kid is a shortstop and pitcher on their spring teams, yet they worked, practiced and adapted, and when it came tournament time, no team was more fundamentally sound and ready to play baseball than the Merillon All Stars. That’s a tribute to the coaching staff.

They did it with pitching. Nick Perrone, Travis Finkel and an emerging Brennan Scanlon were often untouchable. While the parents paced and closed their eyes (and the moms tried to figure out which one was their son—that’s why they have numbers mom), these kids coolly delivered like seasoned veterans. Chris Ferlazzo and Liam “Wild Thing” Slattery also came up big on the mound, while last year’s pitching hero Tyler Carrick moved over to first base while he recovered from an arm injury.

They did it with defense, starting at catcher. Joey Richards was a workhorse, blocking balls, picking kids off, and throwing out would be basestealers. The infield of Nick at third, Travis at short, Denes Kostel at second, and Tyler played flawlessly, gobbling up everything within reach. And who could forget that perfectly turned double play against Merrick. Frankie over to Chris, who flipped to first for two. Awesome. The outfield of Justin Diamond, Smilin’ Frankie DiSanto, Austin “Bubble Gum” Ward, Brennan, Chris and John Leva was also outstanding, shagging flies, backing up and hitting the cutoffs just like they worked on. They also stepped into the infield and performed perfectly when called upon.

They did it with hitting. The table-setters Joey and Denes always seemed to be on base for sluggers Travis, Nick and Tyler, each of whom hit some highlight reel bombs. Nick hit one against Merrick that’s still going. Frankie and Austin, when they weren’t scorching line drives, were beating out bunts. Justin, Liam, Brennan, Chris and John also delivered, contributing with their bats and their blazing speed on the basepaths. Next year, it will be a race to see who the first is to hit one out.

Most importantly, they did it with teamwork. The kids love to play together, they’re supportive of one another, and while they all have the drive to win, they do it respectfully. They’re good kids, who happen to be great ballplayers.

Thanks again to the coaches and kids for a great summer of baseball and fun. Will next year be a Three-Peat?

The 11 year old Merillon All-Stars (the Merillon “Thunder“) went undefeated in District Tournament play and were crowned District #28 Champions for the second consecutive year on July 20th (the same team having won District last summer as 10 year olds). The Merillon “Thunder” have been crushing the ball and playing solid defense throughout tournament play, culminating in the District Championship. Congratulations to the 11 year old All-Stars for everything they've accomplished! The 2005 Merillon All Stars are in alphabetical order as follows: Steven Ambrosio, Andrew Chuang, Joseph Citriniti, Nicholas Clifford, Steven Curran, Christian Dluginski, David Leibell, Peter Loduca, Brendan Lum, William Rezin, Jared Root, Louis Simeone and Michael Tangredi.

Coach of the Year

Jim Richards

Besides all these achievement Jim’s greatest attributes are off the field.  His dedication to the League and to his children is exemplary. He spends countless hours with his teams all year long teaching the children the fundamentals of baseball and to be graceful in losing and winning.  I take great pride in saying Merillon is lucky to have a man like Jim giving 100% all the time.

We would like to congratulate his wife Kathy and his sons Kenny and Joey on having such a unique husband and father and to thank them for sharing him with the rest of us at Merillon Athletic Association.

For all of your local New Hyde Park News click on the link for your online copy of the NHP Illustrated

NHP Illustrated News Paper

  back to top