2022 Panthers Fight Off Astros for 35+ AA Title in Long Island MSBL
Long Island Panthers 7, Long Island Astros 5 (Game three in best of three championship series)
The Long Island Panthers came from behind twice in a winner-take-all game three to defeat the Long Island Astros for the 2022 Long Island Men’s Senior Baseball League 35-and-up Championship.
Coming off a comeback victory of their own in game two the Astros scored a quick three runs in the top of the first and held command of that lead up until the bottom of the seventh when the Panthers’ lineup finally came to life.
“Sometimes the game goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Panthers’ Anthony Gentile. “We were definitely pressing. We knew we just needed to keep getting on base and something good would happen.”
Third baseman Dean Glanzman singled to lead off the inning. Gentile followed and was hit by a pitch. The Astros argued that Gentile didn’t make an attempt to avoid the pitch and the home plate umpire and field umpire converged to discuss. The two-man crew ruled in the Astros’ favor. The next pitch would hit Gentile again but this time he was awarded first base.
“Funny part is,” Gentile explained. “When I got hit the second time, I thought he was gonna call a foul ball because I thought it might have caught a piece of the bat.”
The Panthers went on to produce four runs to take a 4-3 lead.
In the top of the eighth the Astros scored twice, re-taking the lead, and Panthers Manager Stu Juarez brought in left-hander Joseph Kitt to limit the damage. Kitt retired the third out and stranded a runner at second to keep it a one-run game.
Again, the Panthers’ lineup responded. They scored three runs and gave Kitt a two-run lead to work with as he went out to the mound for the ninth.
Kitt walked the Astros’ leadoff batter and then picked him off (1-3-5) for the first out of the inning. After a ground ball to Sammy Juarez at short, Kitt induced a pop-up on the infield that Glanzman called for immediately and caught to end the game. Final: Panthers 7, Astros 5.
“Although we were being shut out into the seventh inning, as a team, we never really thought we were out of it,” said Panthers’ second baseman Adrian Rios. “That speaks to our ‘refuse to lose’ attitude. There is a lot of veteran leadership on this team. We take that responsibility seriously.”
The Panthers finished their regular season in first place with a 15-3 record, outscoring their opponents 174 to 46 while sweeping the Long Island Warriors in their best-of-three semifinal series. They secured first place on July 17 after sweeping a doubleheader with the rival Garden City Mets, 13-1 and 12-0.
“We had a great regular season with lots of great moments,” said Glanzman.” But when our backs were against the wall, we never panicked. We knew things would turn around for us at some point (in game three). We weren’t going to lose that game. And that is just a testament to the character of this ballclub.”
The Panthers took the series’ first games, thanks to a Thomas Manzolillo pinch-hit single that gave the team a one-run lead in the seventh. Manzolillo started on the mound and then was called upon to pinch hit for Glanzman, who left the game in the fifth because of back spasms. His rbi-single would stand as the go-ahead and game-winning hit in what was a 6-5 Panthers victory.
The Astros scored eight runs in the bottom of the eighth in game two en route to a 13-9 win, forcing the final and decisive game three.