Massapequa baseball back in state semis with LI Class AA final win over Commack

The Massapequa baseball program isn’t used to losing its final game of the season on Long Island. Since 2017, unless a pandemic got in the way, Massapequa ended its season in Binghamton with the final four teams in Class AA — either with a win or a loss.

Except last season. Massapequa fell in the Long Island Conference I championship to Commack. The players never forgot that feeling.

“Losing last year hit deep down and throughout the year," junior Erik Paulsen said. "We were sending each other the video of them dogpiling at St. Joseph’s (L.I.) and we used that as motivation against them this year saying, ‘We were going to beat them.’ ”

The two programs met again this season — with a trip to the state semifinals at stake after there was no state tournament last spring thanks to COVID-19.

Massapequa defeated Commack, 2-1, in the Long Island Class AA championship/Southeast Regional final at Farmingdale State on Saturday afternoon.

“Last year we were devastated, we were all hunched over walking out,” junior Michael Vilardi said. “And this year we are walking proud. We are Long Island champions.”

Massapequa (22-2) advances to play McQuaid Jesuit in the state Class AA semifinals at 4 p.m  on Friday at SUNY-Binghamton.

It’s Massapequa’s fourth trip to the state semifinals since 2017 — and has qualified for the state semifinals each of the last four seasons it was held (there was no state tournament in 2020 or 2021). Massapequa won a state title in 2018.

Paulsen challenged the Commack hitters throughout the afternoon, changing speeds and using pin-point control on the mound. He had scattered three hits with one walk, two hit batters and seven strikeouts in an 85-pitch complete game.

“I wanted to trust my defense,” Paulsen said. “I knew I wasn’t going to get a lot of strikeouts because they are a really good hitting team. I wanted to pitch to contact and trust my defense and that’s what happened.”

Commack (24-3) struck first on Michael Pulcini’s two-out home run in the second inning. Massapequa responded in the bottom half, sending seven batters to the plate. Paul Dulanto, who doubled, scored on Matt Castrogiovanni’s bases-loaded walk.

“The reality is they are just as good as us,” coach Tom Sheedy said. “We could play this game 10 times and be 5-5. I have great respect for Commack and everything they’ve been through the last year.”

Vilardi drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to deep rightfield to drive in Paulsen in the fifth inning.

“I knew I had to stay within myself because my approach is to rightfield anyway,” Vilardi said. “And specifically with bases loaded and no outs in a tie game, I knew I had to get a ball in the air and I did.”

Paulsen said it was an “honor” to start with the chance to return Massapequa to Binghamton — its home away from home since 2017.

“I was nervous but you’re doing something wrong if you’re not nervous out there in the beginning,” Paulsen said. “But once I stepped on the mound, my thoughts cleared my head and I knew I just had to throw strikes.”

And in the end, Massapequa got a little revenge for last year’s senior class.

“That felt great,” Paulsen said. “Watching Commack do that last year and them watching us do it this year, it felt great that we were the ones dogpiling this year.”