Aviators, Ospreys Battle to 8-8 Tie in Eight-Inning Thriller
The Westhampton Aviators and North Fork Ospreys traded punches all night before settling for an 8-8 tie in an eight-inning HCBL game Friday evening at Cochran Park in Peconic.
Westhampton jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Antonio Belgrove (Saleh State) reached base on a leadoff walk and eventually scored on an RBI single from Brett Connolly (High Point) before Christian Cox (Framingham State) lined an RBI double to score Nick Koch (Merrimack), giving the Aviators a 2-0 advantage.
North Fork answered immediately in the bottom of the first. A hit batter with the bases loaded forced in the Ospreys’ first run before Andrew Baay (Middlebury) drove in the tying run on a fielder’s choice, evening the score at 2-2.
The Aviators regained the lead in the second when Connolly grounded out to bring home Oliver Kwan (Wesleyan), but North Fork responded with another two-run frame. Max Doninger (Saint Peter’s) singled home Ian Vertucci (Felician) before Manny Carreras (Pace) followed with an RBI double to put the Ospreys ahead 4-3.
Westhampton tied the game in the fourth on an RBI double by Brady Green (Bucknell) and moved back in front in the fifth as Koch drew a bases-loaded walk to score Riley Reimund (St. Lawrence).
The Aviators added two more runs in the sixth. Garrett Mathias (Bucknell) delivered an RBI single to score Cox, and moments later Reimund stole home while Mathias stole second, stretching the lead to 7-4. North Fork answered in the bottom half when Carreras singled home Doninger to trim the deficit to 7-5.
The Ospreys rallied again in the seventh. Rocco Cimino (Pace) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run, and Doninger followed with an RBI groundout to score Eli Sitzer (Washington (MO) and knot the game at 7-7.
Westhampton briefly reclaimed the lead in the eighth when Cox scored on Garrett Mathias’ ground-ball double play, but North Fork had one final response. After Tristan Govea (Felician) pinch-ran for Gianni Generoso (SUNY Westchester CC) following a one-out double, Baay lined a single to bring Govea home and tie the game at 8-8.
After a Westhampton error put the winning run in scoring position, Aviators pitcher Jacob Rentz (Herkimer CC) would settle down and get back-to-back strikeouts, preserving the tie to end the game.
Doninger paced the Ospreys’ offense, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Carreras finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and two walks, while Baay drove in two runs, including the game-tying hit in the eighth.
Westhampton was led by Christian Cox, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI, two runs scored, and two walks. Connolly drove in two runs, while Brady Green, Nick Koch, and Garrett Mathias each added an RBI. Belgrove scored twice after reaching base three times on walks.
Despite collecting just seven hits, the Aviators drew nine walks and capitalized on North Fork’s miscues to stay in front for much of the night. The Ospreys countered with 10 hits and seven walks of their own, overcoming multiple deficits that led to the tie.
The result leaves Westhampton at 13-11-1 on the season, while North Fork moves to 11-13-1 as both teams take a break on Saturday to get ready for the 2026 HCBL All-Star Game in Sag Harbor.