HCBL July 5, 2026 Recaps
North Fork 7, Sag Harbor 6
The North Fork Ospreys survived a furious comeback attempt from the Sag Harbor Whalers on Sunday, building a five-run cushion before hanging on for a 7-6 victory.
The win improved North Fork to 9-12, while Sag Harbor slipped to 12-9.
Sag Harbor struck first in the third inning when Hudson Meyer (Oswego St.) reached on an error that allowed Finley Holmes (Palm Beach Atlantic) to score, giving the Whalers a 1-0 lead.
North Fork answered with a game-changing fourth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring six times. Eli Sitzer (Washington (MO) tied the game with a bases-loaded walk before Ian Vertucci (Felician) put the Ospreys ahead with a two-run fielder’s choice. An error extended the inning and allowed Vertucci to score, while Jack Growney (St. Lawrence) followed with an RBI double and Max Doninger (Saint Peter’s) added another run-scoring double to cap the six-run outburst and give North Fork a commanding 6-1 advantage.
The Whalers refused to go away. Milo Suarez (Dartmouth) sparked the comeback with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, and Collin Harty (Nichols) followed immediately with another solo blast to trim the deficit to 6-3.
North Fork answered in the fifth when Sincere Lozano (Lemoyne-Owen) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Manny Carreras (Pace) and extended the lead to 7-3.
Sag Harbor again fought back in the bottom half. Aaron Vetter (Palm Beach Atlantic) launched a two-run homer, cutting the Ospreys’ lead to 7-5.
The Whalers mounted one final rally in the seventh. Nicolas Banner advanced into scoring position and eventually raced home from second base after Meyer was picked off between first and second, pulling Sag Harbor within 7-6. However, Luis Florian (Felician) recorded the final outs to strand the tying run and secure the save.
North Fork finished with nine hits, led by Carreras, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Doninger added two hits and an RBI, while Growney doubled and drove in a run. Vertucci collected two RBIs despite not recording a hit, and Sitzer contributed an RBI walk.
Logan Pulitano (Pace) earned the victory, allowing five runs on seven hits over 4.2 innings while striking out four. Florian closed the door over the final 2.1 innings, holding Sag Harbor scoreless until the unusual seventh-inning run before recording his second save of the season.
Sag Harbor’s offense was powered by the long ball, as Suarez, Harty, and Vetter each homered. Vetter finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Harty collected two hits and Suarez added a homer, a walk, and an RBI.
Westhampton 9, Riverhead 2
The Westhampton Aviators continued their push toward the top of the HCBL standings on Sunday, using timely hitting and another strong pitching performance to defeat the Riverhead Tomcats 9-2 at the Eastport Athletic Complex.
Westhampton improved to 12-9 with the victory, while Riverhead dropped to 8-13.
The Aviators grabbed the lead in unconventional fashion in the opening inning. Brett Connolly (Washington (MD) stole third base and came home moments later on an obstruction call, giving Westhampton a 1-0 advantage without the benefit of a hit.
Westhampton added to its lead in the third. Connolly drew a walk and eventually scored when Riley Reimund (St. Lawrence) worked a bases-loaded walk, making it 2-0.
The Aviators broke the game open in the fourth inning when Connolly lined a two-run double to right field to extend the lead to 4-0. Connolly finished the afternoon 2-for-2 with two RBI, two walks, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
The decisive blow came an inning later. After a Riverhead error helped load the bases, Nick Koch (Merrimack) unloaded with a grand slam, his four-run homer stretching the advantage to 8-0. The blast was Koch’s lone hit of the day but accounted for four RBIs.
Riverhead finally broke through in the sixth inning. Kevin Schnupp (UMass Amherst) scored on a sacrifice fly by Joey Cohen (Post) before Matt Hesselbirg (Mercy) followed with an RBI single to left, trimming the deficit to 8-2.
The Aviators answered immediately in the bottom half as Oliver Kwan (Wesleyan) doubled to right field to score Reimund and restore the seven-run margin at 9-2. Kwan continued his hot day at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Dylan Beirne (Adelphi) turned in another quality start for Westhampton, allowing just two runs on four hits over six innings while striking out three to earn the win. Gabriel Pena (American International) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to close out the victory.
Shelter Island 4, Southampton 1
The Shelter Island Bucks used dominant pitching and a three-run seventh inning to defeat the Southampton Breakers 4-1 in a Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League matchup.
With the victory, the Bucks improved to 10-11 and have now won seven of their last eight games, strengthening their hold on the league’s fourth and final playoff spot. Southampton dropped to 12-9.
In a game dominated by pitching, Shelter Island broke through first in the top of the fourth inning. Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac) doubled and later scored when David Swift (Bates) lined a two-out RBI single to center field, giving the Bucks a 1-0 advantage.
The Breakers answered immediately in the bottom half. Sean Sailer (Villanova) reached base and advanced into scoring position before Alex Apicella (Rowan College at Gloucester) singled through the left side to score Sailer, knotting the game at 1-1.
Both starting pitchers settled in after that. Shelter Island’s Dean Ennis (Utica) and Southampton’s Evan Kay (Stony Brook) matched zeros through the middle innings, keeping the contest tied entering the seventh.
The Bucks finally broke the deadlock in the top of the seventh. Lucas Ametrano (Holy Cross) scored the go-ahead run on a groundout to third by Evan Clark (New Haven), putting Shelter Island ahead 2-1. Moments later, with the bases loaded, Sam Ametrano reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, allowing Tucker DeWolf (Wesleyan) and Xavier Hall (Emerson) to score unearned runs and extend the lead to 4-1.
Ennis carried the lead into the bottom of the seventh, finishing an outstanding outing by allowing just one run on five hits over 6.2 innings while striking out seven to earn the win. Michael Myers (Occidental) recorded the final out for his third save of the season.
Despite taking the loss, Kay was impressive for Southampton. The right-hander allowed only one run on three hits over six innings while striking out nine. Collin Tobin (Hillsdale) was charged with the loss.
Shelter Island managed just three hits but made them count. Sam Ametrano doubled, scored a run, drove in another, and stole a base, while Swift recorded the Bucks’ lone RBI hit.