Whalers, Ospreys Split Doubleheader as Sag Harbor Moves to Second Place
The Sag Harbor Whalers and North Fork Ospreys split a Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League doubleheader, with North Fork claiming the opener 7-0 before Sag Harbor answered with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap at Cochran Park.
The split proved especially important for the Whalers, who improved to 16-14-1. With two games remaining in the regular season, Sag Harbor now holds a one-point lead over the Shelter Island Bucks (16-15) for the No. 2 seed in the HCBL playoff standings.
Game 1: Ospreys 7, Whalers 0
North Fork broke through in the opening inning and never looked back behind a dominant pitching performance from Kyle Egidio (Hamilton).
The Ospreys grabbed a 1-0 lead when Demetrios Bardatsos (Rider) drove in Manny Carreras (Pace) on a fielder’s choice before adding another run in the third as Nicolas Martini (Eastern Connecticut State) singled home Bardatsos.
North Fork doubled its advantage in the fourth. Bradyn Thompson (Bates)lifted a sacrifice fly to score Max Doninger (Saint Peter’s) before Carter Heagle (Merrimack) followed with another sacrifice fly to plate Carreras, making it 4-0.
The Ospreys put the game away with a three-run fifth inning. Nick Porrello (Manhattanville) drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Sincere Lozano (Lemoyne-Owen), Doninger added a sacrifice fly to score Martini, and Carreras capped the scoring with another sacrifice fly that brought home Eli Sitzer for the 7-0 final.
Egidio was outstanding on the mound, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out four. Matt Guido (Lycoming) completed the combined two-hit shutout with a scoreless seventh.
Game 2: Whalers 3, Ospreys 2
Sag Harbor responded in the nightcap with timely offense and a strong bullpen effort to earn a split of the twin bill.
The Whalers struck first in the opening inning. Tim McGrath (Tufts) worked a bases-loaded walk to score Ethan Righter (Hamilton) for a 1-0 lead.
An inning later, the Whalers manufactured another run when Dominick Mancino (Keiser) scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 2-0.
Sag Harbor added what proved to be the decisive run in the fourth when Thomas Shaw (Castleton) delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0.
The Ospreys finally broke through in the seventh. Lozano lined an RBI single to score Carter Heagle, and Rocco Cimino (Pace) followed with an RBI groundout to bring North Fork within 3-2.
With the tying run aboard, Derek Desmarais (Tufts) settled down and struck out the final batter to record his fourth save of the season and preserve the victory.
Five Sag Harbor pitchers combined to limit the Ospreys to two runs. Chase Curran (Lasell) earned the win with two scoreless innings before Kris Vinski (St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn), Reno Spagnoli (Hofstra) and Finley Holmes (Palm Beach Atlantic) bridged the game to Desmarais.
North Fork collected 10 hits in the loss, led by four hits in the seventh inning, but stranded runners throughout the contest. Eddie Torres (Post) took the loss after allowing three runs over three innings.
The split kept North Fork in the playoff race while giving Sag Harbor a valuable standings edge entering the final two games of the regular season. With a one-point cushion over Shelter Island, the Whalers control their own destiny for the league’s No. 2 seed along with a possible first-round bye.