North Bellmore, NY – The North Bellmore North Merrick Rebels lost the final game of their Spring season Sunday when they split a double-header with the LI Braves, 6-1 and 7-5. Having already clinched the NJBL Spring American league title, the Rebels finished with a very respectable 12-1 record.

The Rebels took an early lead in game one when Jack Delaney’s lead-off single – his first of three hits in this game – and control problems from the Braves pitcher led to Delaney taking home on a wild pitch. After NBNM starting pitcher Kevin McCleneghan struck out the side, the Rebels offense went to work in inning two. Valeriano got things started with a lead-off single up the middle. After Matt Nilsen drew a walk, Delaney bunted for a single, Alec Acri homered to left, and the Rebels were quickly out front 5-0. A lead-off home run by the Braves in the bottom of the second got them on the board. Both teams went scoreless in the third and fourth innings. NBNM tacked one on in the fifth when Billy McAdam burned the Braves right fielder for a double and later scored on a single up the middle by Eric Solomon.

Game two charged out of the gate. The Braves managed a couple of baserunners with a lead-off single and an error by Matt Conry. But Conry quickly condoned for his sin when he turned in a 5-star defensive gem on the next play. On a ball smoked into the hole he laid out to grab the one-hopper, got the out at first, hustled to cover third base, picked a short-hop throw back from first, and tagged out the baserunner who attempted to advance from second base on the throw to complete a 5-3-5 double play. The next batter, the Braves Erickson, though, delivered his second home run of the day and the Rebels were chasing 2-0. An infield hit by Conry in the bottom half led to his scoring on a sac fly by McAdam to cut the Braves’ lead to 2-1. The teams traded zeros in the second. Three hits in the Braves’ third drove in two but the Rebels countered in the bottom half with a bases-loaded double to left-center by Acri for three RBIs and a 4-4 tie at the end of three. Both teams squandered lead-off hits in the fourth inning. The Braves applied the pressure in the fifth when they converted two walks and three hits into three runs. But the Rebels would still have their shot. After Conry homered to center with one out in the fifth to pull within two, Acri walked to bring Brian Porricelli to the plate as the potential tying run. Porricelli hit a ball about as hard as one can but the Braves first basemen took it off the turf for the second out and that was as close as the Rebels would get in this one.

Game one boxscore and details
Game two boxscore and details

This Spring season, in addition to the .923 winning percentage, the Rebels outscored their opponents 105 to 27 averaging 8 runs per game while yielding 2 runs against. The team BA was .387 with an OPS of .988. Team pitching turned in an ERA of 1.56 with 85 SO over 73 IP and a WHIP of 1.18. Defensively, the team FPCT was .970; they commited 9 errors in 298 chances and turned 15 DPs.

The Rebels cross over into the unofficial start of Summer with a holiday weekend trip to Flemington, New Jersey to participate in the 2012 Memorial Day Blast at Diamond Nation.