Bucks Blank Ospreys 4-0 as Sam Ametrano Nears Franchise Stolen Base Record

The Shelter Island Bucks struck early and relied on another dominant pitching performance Friday night, defeating the North Fork Ospreys 4-0 at Fiske Field.

The victory was fueled by a three-run first inning and a stellar effort from Noah Heath (Rider), while lead-off hitter Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac) continued his historic season on the bases. Ametrano stole five bases in a game for the third time this season, giving him 34 stolen bases, just one shy of the Shelter Island single-season franchise record of 35, set by Jake MacKenzie (Fordham) during the 2018 campaign.

Shelter Island wasted no time jumping in front. Ametrano reached base on a walk, stole his way into scoring position, and came home when Cayden Van Dolah (Holy Cross) lined an RBI single to left field for a 1-0 lead.

The Bucks doubled the advantage later in the inning as Lucas Ametrano (Holy Cross) lifted a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Van Dolah to score after advancing to third.

The aggressive baserunning continued moments later. With Sam Bradford (UMass Dartmouth) breaking for second, David Swift (Bates) sprinted home on the back end of the double steal, giving Shelter Island a 3-0 cushion before North Fork could record the third out.

The Bucks added another run in the second. Once again it was Sam Ametrano creating havoc on the bases before Van Dolah delivered, lining an RBI single to center to score Ametrano and make it 4-0.

That was more than enough offense for Shelter Island’s pitching staff.

After Brennan Shapiro (Babson) tossed a scoreless opening inning, Noah Heath was outstanding in relief, earning the victory by throwing six shutout innings. Heath scattered four hits, struck out eight, walked just one, and never allowed the Ospreys to mount a sustained rally. He needed only 79 pitches to close out the game after Shapiro’s efficient six-pitch first inning.

North Fork starter Logan Pulitano (Post) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits over four innings. He walked five and hit two batters, while Joe Williams (Bates) followed with two scoreless innings of relief.

Shelter Island managed just four hits, but made them count. Van Dolah led the offense by going 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Lucas Ametrano added a sacrifice fly and David Swift scored once.