Kellenberg baseball forces deciding Game 3 after earning split of championship doubleheader
Kevin Prosceo, Kellenberg pitcher, second from left, gets congratulated by teammates after the Firebirds' 4-3 win over Chaminade in Game 2 of the NSCHSAA baseball final at Hofstra on Monday. Credit: James Escher
Kellenberg’s season was in the balance.
Following a 2-1 loss to No. 5 Chaminade in Game 1 of the best-of-three NSCHSAA baseball championship series, which began on Monday with a doubleheader, the third-seeded Firebirds carried a three-run lead into the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2.
Kevin Prosceo had already tossed three steady innings of relief, but the seventh turned tense after Chaminade’s Danny Nawrocki was hit by a pitch, Collin Anderson hit an RBI single and Vaughan Steinert had an RBI double to cut the Flyers’ to one with none out.
But Prosceo settled down and retired the next three batters, inducing a groundout, a flyout to right on a diving catch by Lucas Vamvaketis and another groundout to secure a 4-3 series-tying victory for Kellenberg at Hofstra’s University Field. The junior righthander, who struck out three and allowed three hits in four innings to collect the win, left the tying run stranded at third base.
“Forcing a Game 3 after being up three runs — a little heart attack in the last inning right there — but we got the job done,” said Prosceo, who was initially slated to start Game 3.
The deciding third game is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Hofstra.
Kellenberg (17-10) is seeking its first NSCHSAA postseason title since 2017. Chaminade (15-12) last wore the crown in 2022.
“They’re a good team, they’re well coached, and they do a lot of things fundamentally well,” Kellenberg coach Pat Miles said. “They’re a classic Chaminade team, so it’s not going to be easy. But there’s an opportunity out there now when it didn’t look like that two hours ago, so we got to take advantage of it.”
Said Chaminade coach Pat Kemp: “Coach Miles over there — we’ve been talking — 21 years ago, he and I were playing against each other. So the fact that we’re coaching against each other, I think it’s just great for the two schools, the two programs.”
Kellenberg, which led 2-1 heading into the sixth inning of Game 2, added crucial insurance runs on Andrew Noe’s RBI sacrifice fly and Vamvaketis’ RBI single.
In Game 1, Chaminade sophomore righthander Nick Sweeney earned the win after allowing one run and five hits in five-plus innings. Jack Pfeifer pitched two scoreless innings to earn the save.
Sweeney made his third start after being called up from JV in mid-April.
“It caught me a little off guard,” Sweeney said. “All the coaches were in the room talking to me, and they told me, ‘Do you want to go play varsity?’ I was just honored. I came up here, and I just kept doing what I was doing.”
Chaminade’s Jake Madsen drove in Colin Cashin on a 6-3 groundout in the fifth inning to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead in Game 1.
Kellenberg lefty Jack Durso, a Miami commit, allowed five hits and two earned runs in 4 2⁄3 innings in Game 1, striking out four. Eric Ressegger, who allowed one run in a three-inning start in Game 2, pitched the final 2 1⁄3 innings of the opener.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
