Vrana, Skon lift Lindenhurst
Mike Vitale ripped a line drive that buried itself in the glove of shortstop Stephen Skon and ended the first of a three-game series between Lindenhurst and Sachem North.
Skon spiked the ball in the grass as Lindenhurst survived a seventh-inning scare and held off Sachem North for a 3-2 win in a Suffolk League II game Monday. The Flaming Arrows, which peppered Bulldogs starter Rich Vrana for 10 hits, scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh and had the tying and go-ahead runs on first and second when Vitale lined out.
"I squeezed the last one," said Skon, who also had a big two-run double in Lindenhurst's three-run third inning for a 3-0 lead. "We weren't letting this one slip away the way we did in the Connetquot game. I was fired up after that last out."
Vrana improved to 2-0 as he walked one and struck out 10. "I mixed it up better," he said. "But I was up in the zone in the seventh inning. My heart was pounding just before we got that final out."
"That was the best he's thrown this year," Lindenhurst coach Mike Canobbio said. "He was able to bear down and get the outs when we needed them."
Sachem North (4-1) lost for the first time in league play. First-place Lindenhurst improved to 6-1.
"We hit much better today against a quality pitcher but we didn't score enough runs," Sachem North coach Tom Gambino said. "We had guys in scoring position almost every inning."
Vitale, the Sachem North starting pitcher, only allowed six hits, but three of those came in the three-run third and proved his undoing. He retired the first seven batters he faced before a walk to Alex Genao. With two outs, leadoff batter Kenny Skon lined a single and Vin Valela grounded a single to right to score Genao for the 1-0 lead.
"It was a good pitch on the inner half," said Valela, who went to second on the relay throw home. That proved beneficial as Stephen Skon lined a two-run double for the 3-0 lead.
Vrana struck out seven in the final four innings but ran into trouble in the seventh after a one-out infield error. Alec Sole, who had three hits and a walk, laced a one-out, run-scoring single to left center and Justin Carlo added a run-scoring single to score Sole with two outs to make it 3-2. Brendan Garry singled to put runners at first and second before Vitale lined out.
"We're battling to win games," Stephen Skon said with a laugh. "But we're winning them and that's all that matters."
Yankees pushed to brink, game 3 wrap ... Queens County Farm ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Yankees pushed to brink, game 3 wrap ... Queens County Farm ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV