Aviators Clinch No. 3 Seed with 5-1 Win Over Whalers
The Westhampton Aviators closed out the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League regular season with a pivotal 5-1 victory over the Sag Harbor Whalers on Wednesday, earning the No. 3 seed in the HCBL playoffs by winning the season series between the two clubs.
With both teams finishing the regular season at 17-15-1, Westhampton claimed the higher seed thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker, while Sag Harbor settled into the No. 4 spot.
The Aviators backed a strong pitching performance with timely offense, building an early lead they never relinquished.
Westhampton broke through in the second inning. Garrett Mathias (Bucknell) and Brady Green (Bucknell) both came around to score when Luke Rizzi (American International) lined a two-run single to center field, giving the Aviators a 2-0 advantage.
The visitors added two more runs in the third. Nick Koch (Merrimack) scored on an RBI single from Brett Connolly (High Point) before Green followed with a run-scoring double to left field, extending the lead to 4-0.
Andrew Dillon (SUNY Oneonta) kept the Whalers off the scoreboard through the first four innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking one to earn the victory in his first decision of the season.
Sag Harbor finally got on the board in the fifth inning when Milo Suarez (Johns Hopkins) scored on an RBI double from Ethan Righter (Hamilton), trimming the deficit to 4-1.
Westhampton answered immediately in the sixth. Brayden Hromada (Quinnipiac) scored on an RBI single to center field by Christian Cox (Framingham St.). Cox was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, but the insurance run pushed the Aviators’ lead to 5-1.
Ben Feil (SUNY Canton) worked the fifth inning before Ryan Kiendle (Wilmington) closed out the final two frames to earn his second save of the season. Kiendle allowed two hits while striking out two to preserve the victory.
Westhampton finished with seven hits, led by Green, who doubled and drove in a run while also scoring once. Luke Rizzi collected the biggest hit of the afternoon with his two-run single, Brett Connolly added an RBI single, and Christian Cox drove home the final run. Nick Koch, Garrett Mathias, and Brayden Hromada each scored as the Aviators capitalized on their early opportunities.
Sag Harbor also managed seven hits but struggled to string them together against Westhampton’s pitching. Righter’s RBI double accounted for the Whalers’ lone run.
Chase Curran (Lasell) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over 2⅓ innings. Enmanuel Fernandez (Rowan College at Gloucester) held the Aviators scoreless over the next 1⅔ innings despite issuing four walks, and Reno Spagnoli (Hofstra) surrendered one run over the final two innings.
The victory secured an important postseason advantage for Westhampton. The third-seeded Aviators will host the sixth-seeded Riverhead Tomcats in the HCBL Wild Card round on Friday at Veterans Park in Calverton.
Despite the loss, fourth-seeded Sag Harbor will also open postseason play at home, welcoming the fifth-seeded North Fork Ospreys in the other HCBL Wild Card matchup on Friday.