Bucks Advance to HCBL Championship Game
The Shelter Island Bucks built a six-run lead through five innings, then withstood a furious ninth-inning comeback by the Westhampton Aviators to earn a 9-8 victory in the HCBL semifinal Saturday afternoon at Fiske Field.
The second-seeded Bucks advance to the HCBL Championship Game for the fourth time in franchise history and the second time in the last three seasons, where they will face the top-seeded Southampton Breakers on Sunday at 4 PM at Southampton High School.
Shelter Island struck first in the opening inning when Sam Bradford (UMass Dartmouth) lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac) for a 1-0 lead.
The Bucks added another run in the second. After George Proffitt (St. Lawrence)crossed the plate on a double-play ball off the bat of Cayden Van Dolah (Holy Cross), Shelter Island carried a 2-0 advantage into the third.
Westhampton answered in a big way in the top of the third. Brady Green (Bucknell) launched a three-run home run, scoring Brett Connolly (High Point) and Antonio Belgrove (Salem St.), to suddenly put the Aviators in front 3-2. However, Shelter Island would not be behind for long.
Shelter Island erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the third to seize control of the game. JD Stemhagen (Dickinson) tied the contest with an RBI single before Jackson McBride (Bates) followed with a go-ahead RBI hit. An error on a ball hit by Sam Ametrano brought home another run, and Van Dolah added an RBI groundout to make it 6-3. The biggest blow came from David Swift (Bates), who ripped a two-run double to cap the inning and extend the Bucks’ lead to 8-3.
Shelter Island added an insurance run in the fifth when Ben Prince (Maine) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing home Cayden Van Dolah for a 9-3 advantage.
Getting the start for Shelter Island in the semifinal, Noah Heath (Rider) turned in a strong performance for the Bucks. The left-hander worked 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight to earn the victory.
But the Aviators refused to go down without a fight with their season on the line. The Aviators began chipping away in the seventh with sacrifice flies from Nick Koch (Merrimack) and Connolly, trimming the deficit to 9-5.
The real drama came in the ninth.
Westhampton loaded the bases and scored on an RBI groundout by Garrett Mathias (Bucknell), cutting the margin to 9-6. Brayden Hromada (Quinnipiac) then drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 9-7 with two outs, prompting Shelter Island to summon Danny Kerr from the bullpen.
Kerr’s first batter, Oliver Kwan (Wesleyan), also worked a bases-loaded walk, bringing the Aviators within one run at 9-8 and putting the tying and go-ahead runs aboard.
With the season hanging in the balance, Kerr settled in and induced Christian Cox (Framingham St.) to ground to second on a fielder’s choice, recording the final out and preserving the dramatic victory. Kerr earned his first save of the postseason after entering in the most pressure-packed moment of the afternoon.
Shelter Island finished with 10 hits, led by Swift’s two-run double, while McBride collected two hits and an RBI. Stemhagen, Bradford, Prince, and Van Dolah each drove in a run, and Ametrano once again sparked the offense by scoring three times.
Westhampton totaled 10 hits of its own. Green’s three-run homer highlighted the offense, while Connolly, Koch, and Riley Reimund each collected two hits. Despite the late rally, the Aviators stranded the tying run on base as their season came to an end.
The Bucks now turn their attention to Sunday afternoon, when they travel to Southampton High School to meet the Southampton Breakers with the 2026 Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League championship on the line.