Breakers/Aviators Split Sunday Doubleheader
The Southampton Breakers and Westhampton Aviators split a Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League doubleheader on Sunday at Southampton High School, with the Breakers taking the opener 10-3 before the Aviators bounced back with an 8-3 victory in Game 2.
Game 1: Southampton 10, Westhampton 3
Southampton capitalized on several Westhampton miscues to claim the first game of the twin bill.
The Breakers opened the scoring in the second inning when Hector Francia (St. John’s) singled to left field, bringing home Vic Patel (Wallace CC) for a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Michael Caron (Assumption) launched a two-run home run to right field, scoring Francia and extending the lead to 3-0.
Southampton added two more runs in the fourth inning. Liam Daly (Holy Cross) delivered a two-run single up the middle that scored Francia and Owen Beatrice, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Westhampton finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Tristan Gatchalian (SUNY Cortland) singled up the middle to drive in Brett Connolly (Washington (MD) and Nick Koch (Merrimack), and Ryan Adams (Brookdale CC) followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Gatchalian to trim the deficit to 5-3.
The Breakers put the game away with a five-run sixth inning. Caron added an RBI single to score Francia before Alexander Apicella (Rowan College at Gloucester) ripped a two-run single through the right side, plating Daly and Caron. Aidan Colsante (Harvard) was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing home another run, Vic Patel followed with a bases-loaded walk to cap the scoring and give Southampton a 10-3 advantage.
Evan Kay (Stony Brook) pitched four innings allowing three runs on six hits earning his second win of the season for Southampton.
Caron finished a big offensive game with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored, while Apicella and Daly each drove in two runs. Francia crossed the plate three times as Southampton secured the opener.
Game 2: Westhampton 8, Southampton 3
Westhampton responded in the nightcap by taking advantage of Southampton errors and building an early lead they would not surrender.
The Breakers struck first in the opening inning when Michael Caron brought home Aidan Colsante on a sacrifice fly that was mishandled in the outfield, giving Southampton a 1-0 lead.
The Aviators answered immediately. Riley Reimund (St. Lawrence) scored on a throwing error after stealing second and advancing around the bases to tie the game. Brett Connolly then doubled to left-center to score Reimund and put Westhampton ahead 2-1. Later in the inning, Tristan Gatchalian reached on an error that allowed Connolly to score, and Ryan Kiendle (Wilmington) added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1 after one inning.
Southampton cut the deficit to 4-2 in the third when Zach Khozozian (Harvard) singled through the right side to score Caron. However, the Aviators responded with another big inning.
Gatchalian doubled to left field to score Reimund before Garrett Mathias (Bucknell) added a sacrifice fly. An error allowed another run to score, and Oliver Kwan (Wesleyan) capped the rally with an RBI triple to right field as Westhampton stretched its lead to 8-2.
The Breakers added their final run in the seventh when Brendan Gardner (Holy Cross) hit a ground-rule RBI double to score Khozozian, but Westhampton closed out the 8-3 victory to earn the split.
Jesse Kostulias (New Haven) who got the start in Game 2 for Westhampton went four innings allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts and a pair of walks to earn the win the nightcap. Gabriel Pena (American International) went the last three innings for Westhampton as he picked up his second save for the season.
Gatchalian played a key role in the Game 2 win, driving in three runs across the first and third innings, while Connolly, Kwan, Mathias, and Kiendle each contributed RBI. The Aviators also benefited from several Southampton defensive mistakes, scoring three unearned runs in the contest.
The split allowed both clubs to earn a victory on the day as they continued to jockey for position in the early stages of the HCBL season.