MAHOPAC, N.Y. - They say history repeats itself, but it could be a long time before Mahopac baseball fanatics witness another solo no-hitter in a Section 1 playoff game, considering it's never happened before Wednesday, May 21.
Wolf Pac junior Nick Masciarelli now owns that distinction after the right-hander twirled the gem of a lifetime in Mahopac’s 3-0 Class AA quarterfinal win over visiting Somers. Masciarelli was so dialed in on the goal of winning the game and advancing to the sectional semis, that he hadn’t even realized the stakes of a no-hit bid were in the offing.
“During the game, I had no idea I had a no-hitter going until the last out of the game,” said Masciarelli, who lowered his season-long ERA to a tidy 0.71. “I was just so focused on getting the win and sticking to the game plan… the no-hitter was not on my mind. Going into the game, the mindset was to go out there and trust in my defense, which has been great for us all year, while also trusting in our coaches’ game plan for this game. It also helps having a great catcher like Drew (Lichtenberger).”
According to three prior longtime Mahopac baseball coaches—Frank Miele, Frank Moloney and Chris Miller—Masciarelli did, indeed, make Mahopac playoff history.
“I’ve been around Mahopac for a long, long time, and I don’t recall any former player who threw a no-hitter in the playoffs,” Miele said. “This kid is special.”
Special, is one description. Phenomenal is another.
“Masciarelli was phenomenal,” said Mahopac coach Anthony Nappi, who guided Somers to a sectional title in 2022 and will now face Yorktown in the sectional semis on Saturday, May 24. “He commanded all game and made it incredibly difficult for the Somers hitters to get comfortable in the box. It’s what he’s done all year. It was a big-time clutch performance. Somers is a great team and well-coached, so it was awesome to see him execute like that. We’re just really glad he’s on our side.”
With the 13 whiffs he put on Somers batters (1 BB, 1 HBP), the All-Section hurler has now fanned an astounding 81 batters through 47 innings pitched while allowing just three earned runs on 11 hits. Somers' hitters were staggered, barely in the box before searching for a dugout seat.
“Masciarelli was an absolute dog out there,” said Somers coach J.T. Genovese, who last pitched for the Tuskers in 2014 before toeing the rubber for the University at Albany. “From pitch one, he was relentless. We knew he was going to attack away most of the game to set up his nasty off-speed stuff, but he kept us off balance, so much so that our guys would blink and be on their way back to the dugout. We wanted to be aggressive off him and he found a way to be even more aggressive. He’s a special kid with a great work ethic.”
Mahopac catcher Drew Lichtenberger had the best view of Masciarelli's brilliance.
“He was great, he was getting ahead early in counts with all of his pitches and hitting all of his spots when he needed to,” the All-Section batterymate said of Masciarelli, who also clocked a solo homer.
Mahopac junior centerfielder Nate Mascoll added a solo homer, and junior OF Lorenzo Enchandy scored a run off a wild pitch while pinch-running for Lichtenberger, who singled to lead off a Wolf Pac (15-6) inning.
Sidenote: As of May 22, five former Mahopac players were still alive in the Section 1 playoffs as head coaches: Pat Mealy (RCK), CJ Riefenhauser (Yorktown), Ted Lawrence (John Jay CR), Joe Natalie (Putnam Valley) and Myk Lugbauer (Briarcliff).
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here