Massapequa Coast's run in Little League World Series ends with loss to Pennsylvania

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Big memories and broken hearts.

That’s what the Massapequa Coast Little Leaguers were left with when their fantastic run to the Little League World Series ended Monday afternoon.

The Mid-Atlantic Region champions from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, and slugging third baseman Chase Link eliminated Massapequa with a 7-1 victory at Lamade Stadium.

Link hit a three-run homer to erase a 1-0 Massapequa Coast lead and added a two-run single in a four-run fourth inning.

“Some of us were tearing up in that last inning, but we picked each other up,” first baseman Alex Pagano said.

Playing in the United States end of the bracket in a double-elimination format, Massapequa Coast (15-4) lost to Hawaii, 12-0, on Friday night and was held hitless. The game against Pennsylvania, rescheduled to Monday after being postponed by Sunday’s heavy rains, gave Massapequa a second defeat.

When asked about the team’s struggles at the World Series after winning the New York State and Metro Region championships, starting pitcher Joey Lionetti replied, “We lost our focus.”

“Expectations weren’t met — I think that’s the best way to explain it,” manager Roland Clark said. “The boxscores say everything.”

After the final out and the handshake line, the Massapequa Coast players gathered in front of their dugout on the first-base side and waved their caps to the many fans who made the journey from Long Island or came to Lamade to cheer and adopted them as their own.

Massapequa Coast opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. Ryan Huksloot’s leadoff double was Massapequa’s first World Series hit. He went to third on Liam St. George’s one-out groundout and scored when a throw across the diamond sailed wide.

In the top of the third, Link launched a pitch from Lionetti over the leftfield wall to put Pennsylvania ahead 3-1. Lionetti said his pitch was a mistake that stayed up in the strike zone. Clark called the blast “a heartbreaker.”

Clark added that, in the tournaments Massapequa won to reach the World Series, they gave up just two home runs, and “in the last two games we gave up five [home runs], and that’s just coming at the wrong time.”

Massapequa Coast loaded the bases in the third before Pennsylvania’s Aspen Anderson came on in relief and recorded an inning-ending strikeout.

“The pressure after not scoring more than one run in that [second] inning — the boys were feeling it and were putting more undue pressure on themselves,” Clark said.

“We expected to keep hitting, but the bats went cold,” Lionetti said.

Lionetti retired the first two batters he faced in the fourth before Pennsylvania put together its four-run outburst.

A walk, an infield hit and an error loaded the bases before the game was halted for 40 minutes by rain.

Reliever Christian Bekiers attempted to put out the fire when the game resumed, but Pennsylvania’s Link laced a single down the leftfield line to make it 5-1. Caleb Detrick followed with a two-run double for a 7-1 lead.

Bekiers, Danny Fregara and Brendan Hanley also had hits for Massapequa Coast.

What was not lost on the Massapequa Coast kids was the support they felt from the Long Island community. As Pagano said, “Having everyone at home watching warms my heart a little.”

One thing the Massapequa players can look forward to when they return to school is being asked about how they enjoyed the summer.

“I had a great experience, the best of my life,” Lionetti said.

Added Pagano: “This was the best summer I’ve ever had.”

By Roger Rubin

roger.rubin@newsday.com@rogrubin

Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.