GENERALS TAKE PLAYOFF OPENER
In a great game against a very good Port Washington team, the Generals prevailed 5 to 4. The Vikings jumped out to a quick 4 to 0 lead in the top of the 1st inning, putting the Generals in a hole. For the first 3 innings, the Vikings' pitcher kept the Mac Arthur bats off balance, mixing breaking pitches and fastballs effectively. In the bottom of the 4th inning the Generals broke through. As has been so often the case this year, Alex Angus started things off with a single. Chris Piperno and Frankie Vanderka singled as well, giving the Generals their first run. Mike Scro hit a screaming line drive to left field for a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 4 to 2. In the 5th the Genereral went to work again. With 2 outs, Alex Angus doubled, and consecutive hits by Chris Piperno, Frankie Vanderka, and Mike Scro put the Generals within 1 run with the bases loaded and Anthony Mazzella coming to the plate. Anthony singled up the middle, scoring 2 runs and giving the Generals a slim 5 to 4 lead. The rest was up to John Krause, the Mac Arthur pitcher. After the rough 1st inning John was outstanding, and now he had a lead for the first time. A Port Washington rally in the 6th was stopped when Sal Sanquini started a nifty 3rd to 1st double play. In the 7th Krause was at his best, getting a comebacker and 2 strike outs to seal the win.
Tomorrow is game 2 of the series, to be played at 4:30 at Guggenheim Elementary School in Port Washington.
DOUBLE HEADER SWEEP FINISHES GENERALS' REGULAR SEASON
The final day of the regular season brought Farmingdale to Mac Arthur for a double header. In game 1, Mac Arthur scored 4 runs in the 1st inning and cruised to a 7 to 0 victory. John Krause and Kris Walters combined to throw a 1-hitter. On offense, Chris Piperno and Frankie Vanderka had 2 hits each, and Sal Sanquini had 3 hits.
In game 2, the Generals waited until the 2nd inning, scoring 5 in the frame, highlighted by a Nick McQuail 3-run home run. Josh Barry was great on the mound, pitching 5 innings for the win and allowing only 1 hit while striking out 7. Kevin Monohan made his varsity debut and pitched the final 2 innings. Mario Angieri had 2 hits and 2 RBI's, Nick Fiore and Tim Pappas had RBI hits, and Andrew Mege drove a ball 95 feet for an RBI single. Nick Bologna played stellar defense at 3rd base.
The sweep completed an undefeated regular league season for the Generals, an amazing accomplishment in the top ability based league.
MACVARTHUR DEFEATS OCEANSIDE 7 TO 2
In the 3rd game of the Oceanside series, Andrew Mege took the mound and pitched a gem of a game, keeping the Generals undefeated in league play. Andrew allowed single runs in the 4th and 7th innings, while scattering 7 hits and striking out 5. In the 3rd inning the Generals struck for 4 runs, with RBI hits off the bats of Alex Angus, Anthony Mazzella, and Matt Dibiase. In the 4th inning the Generals plated 3 more runs, on hits from Nick McQuail, Chris Piperno, Frankie Vanderka, and Matt Dibiase. Nick McQuail finished the day with 3 hits.
MAC ARTHUR COMPLETES SWEEP
The Generals played another thrilling game against the Massapequa Chiefs yesterday, winning 4 to 3 on a Chris Piperno double in the bottom of the 7th inning. Mac Arthur took a 3 to 0 lead with 2 runs in the 2nd and 1 run in the 3rd inning. Frankie Vanderka had doubles in both innings, and Mike Scro had a single and a triple in those frames. Frankie was on the mound, cruising through the first 4 innings. The Chiefs threatened by loading the bases in the 5th inning, but a key strikeout got Mac Arthur out of that jam. In the 6th the Chiefs tied the score on a long home run, then threatened again in the top of the 7th inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd, a bunt was popped up in front of home plate. Catcher Chris Piperno dived out and made a great catch, then threw to 2nd for a double play. With the score still tied in the bottom of the 7th, the Generals went to bat. Alex Angus singled with 1 out, and Chris Piperno then drilled a long double into the gap. Alex raced home with the winning run. This win allowed the Generals to remain undefeated in league play, and locked up the number 1 seed in the playoffs.
GENERALS COME BACK TO BEAT CHIEFS May 13, 2009
The Generals had an amazing comeback to defeat Massapequa by a score of 6-5. The Chiefs jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Unbelieveable relief pitching by Andrew Mege, Jack Garren and Josh Barry shut down the chiefs for 5 1/3 innings to give the Generals a chance to have an amazing comeback. In the fifth inning Nick McQuail doubled with two outs and Alex Angus singled to bring in McQuail. Chris Piperno then hit a ball back to the pitcher that he could not handle and allowed Angus to score. In the sixth the Generals rallied for 4 runs. Mario Angieri started the rally by getting hit by a pitch. Anthony Mazzella then singled followed by a walk to John Krause. Sal Sanquini drove in Matt Dibiase who was running for Angieri. McQuail was then hit by a pitch to bring in Matt Plotkin who was running for Mazzella and Angus hit a sac fly to score Krause. Piperno then drove in the go ahead run with a single to right. Barry shut the door in the seventh to give the Generals the win.
Generals Reign in the Rain
Mother Nature was the story this week, as the Generals played only 3 of 5 scheduled games. On Wednesday a break in the rain allowed Mac Arthur to travel to Oceanside to face the surging Sailors, winners of 11 of thier 13 games this year. This formidable task was made more difficult because the Generals were facing the Oceanside ace who was undefeated and had allowed no earned runs on the year. The Sailors scored 4 runs in the 1st, making the odds even greater. Kris Walters was on the mound for Mac Arthur, and his outstanding performance gave the Generals a chance. He pitched 4 shutout innings after Oceanside took a 5 to 2 lead in the 2nd inning. It stayed that way to the 7th inning, until the Generals strung together 5 straight hits to tie the score. Darkness ended the game, as the Generals recorded thier 2nd tie in 3 games.
On Friday the Sailors came to Levittown to play Mac Arthur. The Generals were clicking on all cylinders in this one, scoring 2 1st inning runs on a Chris Piperno laser over the right field fence. These would be all the runs Frankie Vanderka would need, as he pitched a complete game shutout. But the Generals provided plenty more offense anyway, eventually winning 11 to 0. Anthony Mazzella hit a Grand Slam to cap the scoring. Vanderka struck out 10 batters while allowing only 4 hits.
On Saturday afternoon Mac Arthur finally had a chance to finish thier series with Syosset. Another 1st inning home run - this time a 3-run bomb from Mike Scro - staked the Generals to an early lead. This opened the floodgates and the potent Mac Arthur offense put up 17 runs to cruise to a 17 to 1 victory. Alex Angus. Nick McQuail, Mike Scro, John Krause, and Sal Sanquini all had multi-hit games. Mario Angieri and Matt Plotkin had back to back doubles in the 6th inning for Mac Arthur. John Krause won his 5th game of the year, and Josh Barry and Jack Garren added scoreless innings. The Generals are now the only Nassau County team undefeated in league play.
KRAUSE LEADS MACARTHUR TO WIN IN GAME 2 April 30, 2009
Senior pitcher John Krause pitched a complete game one-hitter, striking out 8 Braves, as the Generals defeated Syosset in game 2 of their series by a score of 10-3. Krause did not allow a hit until the fifth inning when Syosset squibbed a infield single for the only hit of the day for the Braves. The Generals offense scored double digit runs for the fourth time this season. Frank Vanderka got the Generals going in the top of the second inning when he blasted a two-run homerun deep over the left field fence scoring him and Matt Dibiase who led off the inning with a single. MacArthur added four runs in the fourth inning. After a Vanderka walk and a single by Anthony Mazzella , Krause singled to bring in Vanderka. Alex Angus then drove a single into right field bring in Mazzella and Krause. In the fifth, MacArthur scored two more runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Nick McQuail and a walk by Angus to score Mazzella who reached on an error. In the seventh, MacArthur scored two more runs. Mazzella singled to lead off the inning and Krause followed with a walk. After a fielder's choice, Angus drove in McQuail with a line drive double. On the day Angus was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI's, Sal Sanquini was 2-for-4, Vanderka was 2-for-3 with 3 runs scored and two RBI's with a homerun
LATEST RANKINGS HAVE GENERALS RANKED #1 May 1, 2009
In the April 29th rankings by the New York State Sportswriters Association, the Generals moved up from #2 to #1 with a 10-0 record.
GENERALS RANKED #2 IN NEW YORK STATE April 27, 2009
In the latest New York State Sportswriters High School Baseball Poll, the Mac Arthur Generals varsity team is ranked 2nd in New York State, behind only Vestal High School from Binghamton.
MEGE THROWS NO-HITTER AS GENERALS DEFEAT JAMES MADISON April 26, 2009
Andrew Mege pitched a no-hitter as the Generals defeated the 2007 PSAL finalists James Madison by a score of 7 to 0. Andrew struck out 8 and walked 2 batters, allowing only 1 ball to reach the outfield in this dominant performance. This was the first no-hitter by a Mac Arthur pitcher in 2 years, and the 12th ever. Congratulations to Andrew Mege on this outstanding achievement.
GENERALS BEAT FARMINGDALE, IMPROVE TO 8-0 April 23, 2009
Today the Generals defeated the Dalers from Farmingdale by a score of 7-2. After Farmingdale took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning, MacArthur stormed right back in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. After Sal Sanquini, who was hit by a pitch, and Mike Scro, who walked, advanced on a past ball, Matt Dibiase hit a sacrifice fly to score Sanquini. Mike Scro then scored on wild pitch. In the 4th, Alex Angus singled after Nick McQuail led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. After a double steal, Chris Piperno drove a single up the middle to score both runners. The Generals added 3 more runs in the 6th when Piperno drove in McQuail and Angus again on another two-run single and Dibiase hit another sac fly to score Sanquini. On the day Piperno was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI's and Angus was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. McQuail reached base 4 times and scored two runs and Dibiase added two RBI's. John Krause struck out 4 batters in the 4 innings he pitched and Frank Vanderka struck out two in three innings.
GENERALS INVITED TO NORTHEAST ELITE TOURNAMENT
The Generals have been invited to the 2009 Northeast Elite Tournament. The annual tournament includes some of the top teams in the Northeast to complete in a three day tournament hosted by Clarkstown South High School. For more information click on the link below Northeast Elite Tournament.
NEWSDAY BLOG HIGHLIGHTS THE GENERALS
Recently Newsday highlighted the Generals in their blog that is posted on their website. Click the link to check it out.
MACARTHUR FEATURED BY ULTIMATE ATHLETE
The MacArthur Generals were featured by the high school athletic magazine The Ultimate Athlete on their website. The website has a video of a MacArthur practice while Head Coach Steve Costello is interviewed.
GENERALS SWEEP COMETS, IMPROVE TO 7-0. April 16, 2009
The Generals completed their three-game sweep of Hicksville today, defeating the Comets by a score of 18-0. In the series, MacArthur outscored Hicksville by a margin of 40-5. The Generals struck in the first. After Nick McQuail was hit by a pitch to lead off the game he eventually scored on a fielder's choice hit by Chris Piperno. Mike Scro then doubled in Alex Angus who walked earlier in the inning. MacArthur then exploded for 12 runs in the third inning. The Generals has 11 hits in the inning which included four homeruns. Piperno, Matt Dibiase and Anthony Mazzella had two hits and one homerun each in the inning. MacArthur then added four more runs in the fifth on a Nick McQuail grand slam. On the day, Piperno and Mazzella had three hits, and three RBI's each. Scro and Angus had two hits each. Kris Walters had another strong outing, allowing only three hits and striking out 8.
GENERALS TAKE GAME TWO FROM COMETS April 14, 2009
The Generals improved their record to 6-0 today, as they defeated the Comets from Hicksville in the second game of the series by a score of 7-3. MacArthur. The Generals jumped out in front in the bottom of the second when Anthony Mazzella drove a three-run homer over the fence in straight away center. MacArthur added another run in the bottom of the fourth on back to back doubles by Frankie Vanderka and Anthony Mazzella. They tacked on another three runs in the fifth after Sal Sanquini led off with a single and then Chris Piperno followed with another single. After Mike Scro walked, Matt Dibiase walked to bring in Sanquini and then Vanderka scored Piperno on a fielder's choice. On the mound, Vanderka was dominating, striking out 14 Comets.
GENERALS TAKE SERIES OPENER AGAINST HICKSVILLE
A very tight game against the Hicksville Comets was broken open when the Generals exploded for 6 runs in the 5th inning and 8 runs in the 6th inning. The final score was 15 to 2, running Mac Arthur's record to 5 wins and 0 losses. John Krause also remained undefeated, as he won his 3rd game of the year, striking out 10 over 5 innings of work. Andrew Mege made his first pitching appearance of the year, with 2 scoreless innings and 3 strike outs. Nick McQuail hit 2 home runs and scored 4 runs, Alex Angus had 3 hits, and Sal Sanquini, Anthony Mazzella, and John Krause added 2 hits each. Sanquini's 5th inning grand slam was the game's key hit, as it extended the Generals lead to 6 to 2.
BATS EXPLODE AS GENERALS BEAT MASSAPEQUA April 7, 2009
MacArthur put on a hitting display as they tallied 17 hits in 6 innings in their victory against Massapequa, defeating the Chiefs by a score of 12-3. The Generals jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Anthony Mazzella scored on an error. MacArthur then added another run in the 4th to go up two. Massapequa answered by tying the score in the fourth. The Generals responded quickly by putting up 3 runs in the 5th. After a lead-off triple by Nick McQuail, the Generals had 4 consecutive hits by Alex Angus, Sal Sanquini, Chris Piperno and Mike Scro. After an out, Frankie Vanderka added another RBI hit in the inning. After Massapequa scored another run in the bottom of the inning, the Generals exploded for 7 more runs in the top of the sixth highlighted by hits again by Sanquini, Piperno, Scro, and Vanderka. On the day Piperno, Sanquini, and Scro added three hits apiece. Angus, McQuail, and Vanderka added two hits each. John Krause and Vanderka combined for the victory on the mound. Krause was strong once again, pitching 4 2/3 innings, allowing on 1 earned run on 3 hits and striking out 6. Vanderka came in relief and struck out 2 in 1 1/3 innings. The Generals now stand alone at the top of Conference AA-1.
GENERALS SWEEP HAWKS April 2, 2009
The Generals swept the Hawks from Plainview JFK after defeating them by a score of 9-3. After falling behind for the third time in the series, the Generals stormed back to get the win. Down 3-0 in the third, MacArthur scored two in the bottom of the third. Senior John Krause drove a double to the wall in leftcenter field putting runners on second and third. After Nick McQuail brought in Anthony Mazzella on a fielder's choice, Sal Sanquini drove in Krause with a single. In the fourth inning, consecutive hits to start the inning by Mike Scro, Matt Dibiase, and Frank Vanderka started a four run inning. After Mazzella brought in Scro on a fielder's choice, Krause added another hit to bring in Dibiase and McQuail followed with a walk to bring in Vanderka. In the 6th, Scro added some insurance wehn he drove a bases loaded triple to left center field. Senior Kris Walters was excellent on the mound pitching a complete game, allowing only three unearned runs on six hits and striking out 9. Mike Scro continued his hot hitting, adding two more hits and three more RBI's.
MACARTHUR TAKES SECOND GAME AGAINST PLAINVIEW March 31, 2009
MacArthur took the second game of the series against Plainview, defeating the Hawks by a score of 6-3. Once again the Generals had to come back from an early deficit. After the Hawks jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first, the Generals scored 1 in the bottom of the inning when Mike Scro drove in Alex Angus. MacArthur added another run in the top of the third after Matt Dibiase plated Chris Piperno with a single. The Generals took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. After Piperno led off with a single and advanced on a past ball, Scro ripped a double to score Piperno. Dibiase then followed with another run-scoring single to give the Generals the lead. Frankie Vanderka then drove in Dibiase with another hit. Scro added an insurance run in the sixth when he ripped a line drive home run to left field. Vanderka cruised after the first, pitching a complete game and striking out 12 Hawks. Scro led the offense going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI's. Angus, Dibiase and Anthony Mazzella added two hits apiece.
GENERALS WIN 2009 HOME OPENER March 30, 2009
The Generals opened the 2009 season with a victory over conference rival Plainview by a score of 8-6. The Hawks took a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning. MacArthur scored 5 runs in the 3rd inning to take the lead. After Frankie Vanderka reached on an error, hits by Nick McQuail and Alex Angus cut the deficit to 4-2. Sal Sanquini then added a two-run single to tie the game. After hits by Chris Piperno and Mike Scro, Matt Dibiase hit a sac-fly to give the Generals the lead. Plainview tied the game in the 5th but once again the Generals responded when Vanderka hit a sac-fly in the bottom of the fifth and Sanquini added an RBI single in the 6th. Josh Barry came into the game in the top of the sixth inning with one out and shut down the Hawks for the rest of the game to pick up the save after John Krause pitched the first 5 1/3 innings, striking out 8. Sal Sanquini led the offense going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI's. Alex Angus added two doubles and two runs scored and Nick McQuail added two hits.
GENERALS TO PLAY AT STATEN ISLAND YANKEES STADIUM
The MacArthur Generals varsity baseball team has been invited to play at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home of the Staten Island Yankees. On April 4th, MacArthur will face Clarke in a contest scheduled for 7:00 PM. The Generals will have the experience of using one of the locker rooms at the stadium with nameplates for each player, having a professional P.A. announcer read out the lineups, as well as having their picture displayed on the scoreboard while a song of their choice plays in the background. It definitely will be a great experience for the Generals. The team would love to have their fans come down and support them that night. There is no fee for admission for fans that night.
IN MEMORY OF RICK BAILEY
The Generals baseball program has lost one of their alumni, Rick Bailey (2004). Rick was tragically taken at the young age of 22. Rick was a very talented baseball player for the Generals during his four years of high school. He was an excellent teammate and a pleasure to coach. Rick was responsible for one of the most memorable moments in MacArthur history. During the 2003 playoffs versus Division, Rick delivered a grand slam homerun down the left field line that led the Generals to a 4-1 victory. Rick will be missed tremendously and the MacArthur coaching staff and players offer their sympathy and condolences to the Bailey family.
