LI team wins third straight Mike Leiderman Cup at ALS fundraising baseball game
Wantagh’s Ryan Tullo with his new glove presented to him as defensive player of the game of the annual Mike Leiderman Cup at Mitchel Athletic Complex on Friday. Credit: Howard Simmons
When David Leiderman caught the ceremonial first pitch from former Mets outfielder Endy Chavez at the fifth annual Mike Leiderman Cup, he couldn’t help but think about what his father would’ve thought about his form.
“I think he is probably critiquing every player that’s playing right now,” David Leiderman said. “He was obsessed with baseball, he loved it. I’m sure even the way I was catching that first pitch, he would be yelling at me.”
Long Island defeated New York City, 5-3, for the third consecutive year under the lights at Molloy University’s Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Friday night in the fifth annual Mike Leiderman Cup. The game, consisting of Long Island and New York City’s best rising seniors, is held in honor of Mike Leiderman, who died from complications of ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — in 2018. All proceeds went toward the ALS Foundation.
“I’m sure he’s looking down and having a ball watching these players play in honor of him,” David Leiderman said.
Mike Leiderman founded the Long Island Storm and Storm Baseball Academy, a prominent youth baseball program on Long Island. He also managed amateur teams, becoming a well-known and respected voice in youth baseball.
“He’s probably touched,” said Galita Leiderman, mother of David and widow of Mike. “He never wanted any recognition, so for him to get this recognition now is quite incredible.”
Long Island trailed 3-0 entering the fourth inning before scoring five runs, with Carey’s Jayden Gigante, Clarke’s Matthew Kurz, Holy Trinity’s Jalen Josey and Wantagh’s Ryan Tullo drawing walks and scoring on wild pitches or throwing errors.
South Side’s John Pericolosi reached first on a throwing error before the game’s MVP, Connetquot’s Jagger Adamo, ripped a two-out, two-strike RBI double to centerfield.
“[I wasn’t] thinking about it too much,” Adamo said of the situation. “Getting on second base and looking at all the guys cheering, it was a great experience.”
Tullo earned defensive player of the game honors for a play he made at third base in the fifth. He dived to his right to catch a line drive off the bat of Iona Prep’s Sean Concannon before getting to his feet and firing a rocket to first base to catch Citrus Prep’s Anthony Deleon before he could get back to the bag.
“I saw the ball hit and trusted my guy screaming ‘One!’ ” Tullo said. “I just got up and threw it over and got the double play.”
St. Anthony’s Luke Coats and Holy Trinity’s Victor Acosta each pitched a scoreless inning to open the game. Garden City’s Joe Carey, Chaminade’s Andrew Caramico and Connetquot’s DJ Filippone each pitched a hitless inning to maintain Long Island’s lead, with Bay Shore’s Jordan Drago and St. Anthony’s Jacob Vacciariello combining for a scoreless seventh inning.
Plainedge's Taylor Nitsche added a perfect eighth inning before Longwood's Brendan Rivera entered to the tune of "Narco" in search of the save in the ninth. He followed Nitsche with a perfect inning of his own to secure the win.
“It’s a great accomplishment to not only represent the Island but to do it for a good cause,” Adamo said.
Ikshan Rao, a junior at Syosset High School, sat at the entrance to the field with a tri-board of ALS-related information. It was his first time attending the Cup, not because he played baseball but because he shared the same passion for raising money and awareness for ALS.
“I learned more about ALS by looking at Stephen Hawking’s story and all these other people in my community who had ALS or were affected by ALS in some way,” Rao said. “I just wanted to contribute even more . . . [events like these] are not only raising funds for ALS but also raising awareness.
“It tells people that this disease is out there and we need to also focus on this along with all the other diseases that are in our world.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
