The Pelham Bay Bandits squared off against Rye Brook for a September 20 doubleheader.
Game 1 starter Cal Romano battled through 4 tough innings, striking out 6 and allowing 1 run. With the scored tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the 5th, manager Dom Caggiano called on Frankie Guiliano to relieve Romano. Guiliano responded by striking out 3 straight batters with his blazing fastball. In the top of the 6th, leadoff hitter Xavier Ruiz lined a single to left to get things rolling for the Bandits.
Caggiano had this to say about Ruiz, “X is coming into his own, he is swinging a hot bat right now. His glove was always exceptional but his bat is catching up.”
Tony Rugova dropped down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to move Ruiz to second, bringing Nino Giardino to the plate. Giardino drilled a single to left, making it 1st and 3rd with Joey Signore up to bat. Signore came through with a 2-out go-ahead single to centerfield. With the score at 2-1, Guiliano struck out the side again to preserve the win.
In Game 2, Nino Giardino took the mound for Pelham Bay. Giardino (10 k’s) kept Rye Brook off balance with his fastball and changeup, taking a no-hitter into the bottom of the 5th. With two outs in the inning, he gave up his only hit of the game. The Bandits offense woke up in the second game of the double-header, as they went on to win 7-0. The big bats of Matt Flamio (2-2, 3 RBI), Frankie Guiliano (2-3, 2 RBI) and Nino Giardino (2-3, RBI) powered the offense.
“The most impressive aspect of both wins was how we took care of the ball on defense”, coach Joe Giardino said about the defensive effort of the Bandits (14 putouts, 0 errors). Nicky Scuibba and Xavier Ruiz were the defensive stars for the 4-0 Bandits.
