The Ozone Howard Rangers are the 11-year-old champions in the citywide Borough Cup tournament.
Photos courtesy Ozone Howard Rangers
Call them the comeback kings.
The Ozone Howard Rangers rallied their way to victory in this weekend’s Borough Cup citywide tournament, rallying back from a 5-0 deficit to beat the undefeated YSL Bombers of Brooklyn 7-6 in extra innings at MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. And they did it in true comeback fashion.
The bases were loaded in the bottom of the 8th inning. Right fielder Jordan Bellman took to home plate, where he clocked in a line drive single, driving in that winning run. As soon as the winning runner crossed the plate, the entire team swarmed the field in celebration.
But it did not come easy.
Coach Al D’Andrea said his boys –mostly 11-year-olds – battled through intense adversity to claim victory, but it all made the win that much sweeter. Starting pitcher Chris Musco went down early in the game with a hairline fracture in his elbow, becoming the second big bat succumbing to injury over the past month, the coach said. But Matthew Serrata stepped in on a relief basis and pitched seven straight innings, giving up only three runs in the process.
Despite injuries to some big hitters, Dominick D’Andrea and Matthew Serrata of the Ozone Howard Rangers still found a way to victory and now celebrate championship status.
Photos courtesy Ozone Howard Rangers
“We were on our third catcher. We lost two of our best hitters. But we pulled through,” he said. “It was one of the most exciting games we were ever a part of.”
The Borough Cup – the first of its kind – was created by New York Mets’ pitcher and hall of famer John Franco, along with WFAN radio host Craig Carton and Brooklyn Cyclones Assistant General Manager Gary Perone. The tournament put hundreds of teams throughout the city up against each other, separated by age groups.
The team has been playing together for five years now and reached its highest achievement to date with Sunday’s Borough Cup victory. Since the summer started, D’Andrea and his boys have been playing non-stop ball with hats thrown into various tournaments across Queens and Long Island.
But Sunday’s win, the coach said, brought a unique and special boost to the team.
“Morale is unbelievable now,” he said. “When John Franco handed me that Borough Cup and I said, ‘Rangers, come get your cup,’ they attacked me. It was the best thing I ever did in my life for the kids.”
D’Andrea teamed up with team coaches Mike Frazzetta, Lou Piazza and Frank Didio to pitch the daylong game day prep for the kids, starting with an 11 a.m. service at St. Helens Church. From there, they took to their favorite batting cage for a pre-game meal and warm up before driving to the Brooklyn ballpark.
“Mike and I were looking for a chance to get the kids to go to church together – the way we used to in high school,” he said. “The 4 p.m. start time allowed us to have a full day together. It worked out well.”
And they are not done yet.
Looking ahead, the Ozone Howard Rangers will be heading to Maryland for another weekend tournament this weekend and then take on another championship game next week, the coach said.
By Phil Corso
