Bombers win second annual memorial tournament, for a second time in a row

PINE PLAINS — Bombers varsity baseball defeated New Paltz 5-0 and Millbrook 9-6 to win the second James J. Kost Memorial Baseball Tournament.

The tournament is held by Millbrook School in honor of Kost, a 1981 Millbrook graduate who died in 2007. A $2,500 scholarship, funded by proceeds of the tournament and donations, will be awarded to the top senior athlete who plans to compete at the collegiate level.

Seth Knickerbocker pitched a complete game, tallying a one-hit shut out during the 5-0 win over New Paltz. What makes Knickerbocker’s feat even more impressive is that he did it in the minimum amount of batters, 21. Knickerbocker had one hit, one walk and one error, but each time a batter got on base, he was thrown out.

“He pitched terrific,� Pine Plains coach Phil Amelio said.

Also during that game, Mark Flinn was two for two with two runs scored. Grayson Wheeler was also two for two with an RBI and a run scored.

Three runs were scored in the first, according to Amelio, off an RBI sacrifice fly by Lekocevic and a two-RBI single by Wheeler.

“In hindsight, that did it,� Amelio said. “Then we got the insurance runs.�

During the second game, pitcher Flinn was given the win. Knickerbocker was two for five batting with two runs scored, and Matt Paterson also contributed two runs.

The Bombers had the lead after four innings, 4-2, Amelio recounted. In the fifth, after two outs, the bases were loaded on walks. Dylan Proper singled in two runs, and Marquis Vandewater singled in another two.

In the sixth inning, Knickerbocker and Paterson singled to get on base and Lekocevic doubled to score both.

“We played pretty well,� Amelio said about his team’s overall tournament performance. “We had [the players] look at each at-bat, rather than their overall record, and we had more good at-bats than not.

“At this point in the season, I think everybody’s wondering about their teams. And we’re about where we seem to be every year, where I’m not sleeping every night.�

Tower Pizza in town offers a free pie to the Bombers’ player of the game. Amelio said he chose Knickerbocker for the first game, and Flinn for the second. Flinn was named the tournament MVP as well.

Pine Plains’ record moves to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the league.