Final: Farmingdale 1, Oceanside 0
WP: Justin Hills (6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks)Lone run scored on a bases loaded walk by Kenneth Roldan in first inning
Farmingdale improved to 11-1-1 pic.twitter.com/lvRXN0zQf3
Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 6, 2025
Justin Hills didn’t have enough time to be nervous. The senior RHP was thrusted into the ballgame on short notice when Farmingdale‘s starting pitcher, Lorenzo Cimino, was injured during his plate appearance in the first inning.
The senior righty was called up in a huge game for the reigning Nassau County champs against second-place Oceanside, who entered with a record of 9-1, and came up huge in a 1-0 victory.
Oceanside sent Adelphi-commit Dylan Beirne to the mound. The hard-throwing righty battled command issues in the early going, walking Jack DeLeo, who stepped in with a 2-2 count when Cimino as forced to exit the game with a knee injury he sustained on a foul ball. After Ive Mills singled to right field, he struck out John Franco before walking the next two batters, including Ken Roldan, to force in the first, and only, run of the game.
Hills was remarkable through out this game, overwhelming a talented Oceanside lineup led by Kyle Scheurer and Luke Villella. He went the distance, walking none, allowing just singles in the second and third innings, and striking out six.
Hills stated “I had all the confidence in the world. The team was behind my back and we knew it was a game we needed to win. We gotta do the same thing tomorrow – we are the top two teams in the conference and we want the 1-seed.”
A huge factor in this game was certainly the conditions. Besides the injury that was sustained by Cimino due to the wet surface, there was also a thick fog that made it difficult for the hitters to see and a persistent light rain.
It appeared to get more difficult as the game went on, and the box score backs that up as there was only one hit (Angel Cartagena) after the third inning of the game.
Credit to Hills for his ability to prepare himself on short notice, but also to Dylan Beirne, who was dominant after the first inning. He struck out 11 batters over his six innings, including the side in the bottom of the sixth. He was fired up after the inning, trying to will his offense to come to life but Hills was able to throw a 1-2-3 seventh inning needing just nine pitches. He needed just 69 pitches to navigate through the six innings.
The win was critical for the Dalers, who improve to 11-1-1 in Conference AAA and will look to sweep the series tomorrow. Equally as important is the health of their ace, Cimino, who has been lights-out for them this season. They will certainly hope for the best as they will need him as they attempt to protect their Nassau County title.
Game 2 of the series will be on Wednesday at Oceanside at 5pm.