Lippman, Kouba and Bounougias pitch Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK to win
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK relief pitcher Jacob Kouba during a Nassau Conference AA baseball game against Syosset on Saturday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The pitching duo of Sebastian Lippman and Jacob Kouba struck out 10 and only allowed four hits and closer Peter Bounougias finished it off in Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK's 2-1 home victory over Syosset on Saturday.
“We trust all our guys,” Hawks coach coach John Givargidze said. “We had a game plan [to use the two pitchers] going into today and it worked.”
At first, it didn’t appear that way as Hawks’ starting pitcher Lippman was staring down loaded bases after giving up a single and walking two in the first inning.
“I was a little cold, but I know how to get warm and get it going,” Lippman said.
Lippman struck out the next batter to close out the first inning. He took that heat into the next two innings, striking out six while only giving up one hit and walking one.
“Sebastian is a heck of a player who we’ve been facing for years,” Syosset coach Thomas Morritt said. “We knew that coming in and we had to be ready to play.”
Sophomore Kouba, in his varsity pitching debut, entered in the fourth inning and struck out three, earning the win though he did give up the Syosset run in the seventh before being pulled for .Bounougias.
In the bottom of the fourth inning in a scoreless stalemate, the Hawks' Michael D’Ambrosio delivered a solo home run to left field.
“It felt great to put my boys up 1-0,” D’Ambrosio said. “It gave us a lead to build on and helped our pitchers gain more confidence.”
Bounougias hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning for a 2-0 lead.
Syosset’s Angelo Fasano hit a sacrifice fly with bases loaded in the final inning to pull within one, but closer Bounougias induced a routine grounder to end the comeback bid.
“[Bounougias] battled and came up with two good pitches,” Givargidze said. “Our shortstop [Anthony Powers] made a heck of a play at the end of the game.”
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK (3-0) sits undefeated and confident in the young season with the defining win over Syosset (2-3-1).
“We just got to keep working hard and keep beating other teams we feel are a threat,” D’Ambrosio said.
