Belgrove’s Grand Slam Ignites Big Seventh Inning for Westhampton

The Westhampton Aviators used a 12-run seventh inning to erase a late deficit and defeat the Southampton Breakers 18-11 on Tuesday, June 16, at Southampton High School in a wild Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League contest.

Westhampton struck first in the top of the opening inning when Tristan Gatchalian (SUNY Cortland) delivered an RBI single to score Riley Reimund (St. Lawrence) and give the Aviators a 1-0 lead.

The Breakers answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. An error helped Southampton get going before Owen Beatrice (St. John’s) drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. Luke Ciminiello (Stony Brook) then reached on an error that brought home another run, and Zach Khozozian (Harvard) followed with an RBI single as the Breakers jumped in front 3-1.

Southampton added two more runs in the second inning. Alex Apicella lined an RBI single through the right side to score Brendan Gardner (Holy Cross), and Beatrice later drove in another run on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-1.

Westhampton got one run back in the third when Garrett Mathias (Bucknell) singled to shortstop, scoring Antonio Belgrove (Salem State) and cutting the deficit to 5-2.

The Breakers extended their lead in the fourth. Ciminiello lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Apicella before Khozozian delivered the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run double to center that scored Owen Beatrice and Nick Slogik (Rowan College at Gloucester). Gardner followed with an RBI single as Southampton built a commanding 9-2 advantage.

The Aviators mounted a comeback in the fifth inning. A hit batter with the bases loaded brought home Luke Rizzi (American International), and Mathias followed with an RBI walk. Gatchalian then reached on a fielder’s choice that plated two runs, trimming the Southampton lead to 9-6.

Southampton regained a run in the bottom of the inning when Slogik hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Liam Daly (Holy Cross) which pushed Southampton’s lead to 10-6.

After both teams were held scoreless in the sixth, the Aviators appeared poised to complete the comeback in the seventh. Westhampton loaded the bases and scored four runs without recording a hit. Consecutive hit batters to Ryan Adams (Brookdale CC), Ryan Kiendle (Wilmington), Rizzi, and Frank Kentoffio (Brookdale CC) forced home four runs and tied the game at 10-10.

Then, Belgrove delivered the decisive blow, crushing a grand slam to give the Aviators a 14-10 lead. Later, Ryan Adams would drive in a run with a groundout before Ryan Kiendle launched a three-run home run to cap the rally and extend the lead to 18-10. When it was all said and done the Aviators had scored 12 runs in the seventh inning, double their run total in the first six innings.

Southampton added one final run in the inning when Nick Slogik drove in a run that allowed Liam Daly to score, but the Breakers could get no closer as the Aviators secured the 18-11 victory.

Khozozian paced the Breakers’ offense with three RBI, while Belgrove’s grand slam highlighted the decisive eighth-run seventh inning. Ryan Kiendle and Tristan Gatchalian finished with three RBI each for the Aviators. Garrett Mathias who was the DH and came on to pitch for Westhampton in the bottom of the sixth earned the win in 1.1 innings of relief.

Liam Daly for the Breakers finished the day stealing five bases for the Breakers one shy of the HCBL and franchise single-game record held by Jordan Schulefand (Richmond) who stole six bases in a game for the Breakers back in the 2018 season.

Both teams travel on the road on Wednesday when the Breakers travel to Fiske Field to play the Shelter Island Bucks while the Aviators go to Peconic to meet the North Fork Ospreys.