After struggling out of the gates, Schreiber’s baseball team put together a strong end to the season to make the playoffs. The boys finished the regular season with a 6-9 record, making them the eighth-seeded team in the Nassau County AA tournament.
The Vikings needed a run of wins to end their year with a strong enough record to qualify for the playoffs. Schreiber had a tough schedule to begin the year, facing Massapequa and Farmingdale for the first six games, the first and second-best teams in Nassau County this year. They dropped all six games to these teams.
Next, the boys matched up against Syosset, a much more beatable team. In game one, our Vikings jumped out to an early lead and were up 3-1 entering the fourth inning. Syosset stormed back, scoring three, and handing Port a seventh straight loss. The second game of the series took place at Schreiber. After five scoreless innings from both pitchers, the Vikings finally broke through on a bunt single by Sophomore Anthony Iuorio in the sixth. They scored two more in the inning, and Senior Michael Andrew would complete his gem in the seventh, leading to a 3-1 victory. Andrew threw one of the best games of the year, striking out ten and only allowing two hits with one unearned run. The final game of the series was a rough one for Schreiber-a 9-4 loss-where, four errors spelled defeat for the boys.
After defeating Mineola in a non-league contest in Port’s Coaches vs. Cancer game, the Vikings needed to lock in to have a chance at the playoffs. At 1-8, they were tied in last place with Freeport and needed to leapfrog Oceanside to take the fourth seed in the conference to reach the playoffs. Facing these two teams to end the season gave Schreiber a chance to control their destiny.
The first game against Freeport was a quick victory, a 10-0 win that ended after five innings due to a mercy rule. Andrew pitched another gem, striking out ten again and only allowing one hit in a complete-game shutout. Sophomore Parker Workman led the charge offensively, going 1-2 with two runs batted in and two runs. Game two was a much closer one; the Vikings led 5-4, entering the top of the seventh. Iuorio came through with a clutch two-run double to extend the lead to 7-4, and Port would eventually take home a 9-4 win thanks to a strong relief performance from Sophomore Hunter Trenaman.
Looking to complete the sweep, Schreiber again would travel to Freeport and trailed 3-2 in the top of the sixth. After tying the game on an error, Junior Jack Robinson would put the team ahead 5-3 with a two-run double. Senior Will Chu would close out the game, and the boys took home a 5-4 victory, pushing their record to 4-8.
By sweeping Freeport, Schreiber set up a key series against Oceanside. It was essentially the playoffs for both teams, as the winner of the three-game set would make the playoffs, and the loser would see an end to their season. Winning game one would be key, especially with their ace on the mound. Andrew once again shut down his opponents, striking out eleven in a five-inning complete-game shutout, leading the Vikings to a 10-0 win. Andrew’s stellar performance cemented his season as one of Schreiber’s best, but there was still work to be done. Traveling to Oceanside, the Vikings had a chance to spoil the Sailor’s Senior Day by eliminating them from the playoffs. After falling 5-0 in the first inning, the boys would storm back to take an 8-5 lead in the fourth. Oceanside would come back to tie the game in the seventh and then walked off the game in extras, setting up a win-or-go-home game for both teams to end the regular season.
In the final game of the regular season, Schreiber held their own Senior Day, honoring the ten players that will be graduating in the coming weeks. After the festivities, the Vikings needed to lock-in. It took some time for the boys to refocus, evidenced by the first-inning home run that gave Oceanside a 2-0 lead early. After a scoreless first inning, Senior Danny Alexander stepped up to the plate in what could have been his last game as a Viking. In a 3-2 count, Alexander crushed a home run to right field, giving Port a 3-2 lead. Junior Ryan Gawley would extend the lead with a two-run single later in the inning, part of his 5-RBI day. After another 2-run home run by Oceanside, another single by Gawley would drive in another run to make the score 6-4. With two outs in the fifth, after strong pitching performances from Chu and Sophomore Jeffery Radinsky, Andrew came into the game with a chance to secure a playoff spot for the Vikings. He retired each of the seven batters he faced, and Port took a 10-4 win and clinched the playoffs.
The county playoffs opened in Plainview, where Schreiber would have to face the top seed in Nassau County. After a tough 4-1 loss in game one, the boys would fall again in game two, ending the strong season.
While the season ended earlier than most players hoped, it was still a successful spring, especially after the troublesome start to the year. Andrew’s strong pitching performances were a key to this turnaround. He finished the year with a 0.98 ERA and 60 strikeouts, leading him to be unanimously voted All-Conference and the AA-1 Conference Pitcher of the Year. Another key player in the Vikings’ turnaround was Robinson. He ended the year batting .450 with a home run, and was named an all-league player. These two award-winners were the driving force behind Port’s playoff appearance.
Now that the 2022 season is over, Schreiber’s baseball team will prepare for the 2023 season. Returning many of their starters, the team is confident that next season will be even stronger than this one.
