Morrissey’s 4-RBI Day Helps Sag Harbor Against Riverhead
The Sag Harbor Whalers broke open a back-and-forth contest with a six-run sixth inning and defeated the Riverhead Tomcats 13-7 on Sunday at Mashashimuet Park.
The two teams combined for 20 runs and 24 hits, with Sag Harbor’s offense erupting for 13 runs on 16 hits to earn the victory.
Riverhead struck first in the top of the opening inning when Matt Hesselbirg (Mercy) doubled to right-center field, bringing home Zach DeMilt (Adelphi) for a 1-0 Tomcats lead.
The Whalers responded immediately in the bottom of the first. Aaron Vetter (Palm Beach Atlantic) scored on a wild pitch to tie the game before Eddie Morrissey (St. Lawrence) delivered an RBI single to left field to score Milo Suarez. Carter Dickinson (Castleton) then added a run-scoring groundout, giving Sag Harbor an early 3-1 advantage.
After both offenses cooled for a couple of innings, Riverhead exploded in the fourth. Thomas Iaquinto (Felician) lined a two-run double into left-center, scoring Hesselbirg and DeMilt to tie the game at 3-3. Dylan Kennedy-Fujah (UMass Boston) followed with a bases-loaded walk to put the Tomcats ahead, and Sam Leonard (Hofstra) added an RBI single. Jack Byrne (Fairfield) capped the rally with a sacrifice fly as Riverhead surged in front 6-3.
The Whalers answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Vetter scored on a catcher’s error before Morrissey crushed a two-run home run to tie the game once again at 6-6.
Riverhead regained the lead in the fifth when Richie Heyder (Farmingdale State) doubled to center field, scoring DeMilt to make it 7-6. However, Sag Harbor quickly evened the score again when Vetter drove in Thomas Shaw (Castleton) with a sacrifice fly.
The decisive blow came in the sixth inning when the Whalers sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs. Morrissey continued his outstanding afternoon with an RBI single, followed by run-scoring singles from Collin Harty (Nichols), Hudson Meyer (Oswego State), and Vetter. A Riverhead outfield error allowed Meyer to score an additional unearned run, extending the Sag Harbor lead to 12-7.
The Whalers added their final run in the seventh when Harty doubled to center field to score Suarez and make it 13-7.
Morrissey led the offensive outburst for Sag Harbor, finishing with four RBI, including his game-tying two-run home run in the fourth inning. Harty added two RBI, while Vetter scored three runs and drove in another. The Whalers received contributions throughout the lineup, collecting 16 hits and drawing seven walks.
Riverhead was paced by Iaquinto’s two-run double and Hesselbirg, who contributed an RBI double and scored during the Tomcats’ four-run fourth inning. DeMilt crossed the plate three times, while Leonard and Kennedy-Fujah each added RBI.
Brady Ross (Brandeis) earned the win in relief for Sag Harbor, improving to 1-1 after pitching 2.2 innings and allowing two runs while striking out two.