By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

HEMPSTEAD, NY—Friday marked the first day of games at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic. Each team played twice so two sites were used—Hofstra and MCU Park, the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. There were several arms scheduled to pitch at Hofstra so I spent the day there.

Rain delayed the start, but once things got underway, the day was filled with action and went uninterrupted. The first game was between FTB Tucci and Evoshield Canes. The Canes dominated, pushing across four runs in the first inning on the way to an 8-1 victory. 3B Joe Rizzo (Oakton HS, VA) led the hit parade with a 3-for-3 performance. He had two doubles and three runs scored. His first double was a fly ball to left field that probably should have been caught, but it fell in for a hit. His second was clean as he turned on a mid-80s fastball and smoked it off the right field wall.

OF Austin Langworthy (Williston HS, FL) had a big day, going 4-for-6 with an RBI and run scored. He fell a home run short of the cycle in the Canes’ second game. It wasn’t enough though as the Canes fell 2-1 to the Northeast Mets. The decisive run came late in the game on a balk. He has a loose swing and keeps the bat in the zone. He especially shows advanced ability to go to the opposite field.

Here are some more highlights from Hofstra…