HCBL All-Stars Come From Behind to Win 10-8 Over ACBL at the 2026 HCBL ASG; Caron Named MVP
The Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars erased a four-run deficit with a dramatic eighth-inning comeback to defeat the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars, 10-8, in the 2026 HCBL All-Star Game Saturday afternoon at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor.
The HCBL struck first in the opening inning when Brett Connolly (Westhampton/High Point) led off with a hit and eventually scored on an RBI single to left-center by Nick Slogik (Southampton/Rowan College at Gloucester). The home league doubled its advantage in the second as Anthony Sarro (Sag Harbor/Fairleigh Dickinson) scored on a ground-rule RBI double by Milo Suarez (Sag Harbor/Johns Hopkins) for a 2-0 lead.
The ACBL answered in the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of HCBL errors. Cillian Morrissey (BT/Pace) singled home Zach Hampton (New Jersey/UMBC) before Colin Brosnan (East Coast/Barry) and Michael Wansaw (Linden/Fordham) each reached on errors that brought in runs, giving the visitors a 3-2 advantage.
The HCBL almost tied the score in the bottom of the fifth when Suarez hit a ball into center field, but Trent Toole (Jersey Shore/Villanova) made an incredible catch going over the fence at Mashashimuet Park, holding on to the ball and kept the ACBL up a run.
The ACBL would extend the lead in the sixth. Anthony Tetto (Linden/Drew) managed a bases-loaded walk to force in a run before Toole lined an RBI single through the right side to make it 5-2, though the HCBL cut down Matt Farrone (LIB/Farmingdale State) at the plate on an incredible throw from right field by Michael Caron (Southampton/Assumption) to end the threat.
The HCBL responded immediately in the bottom half. Three consecutive hit by pitches with one out loaded the bases for Nick Koch (Westhampton/Merrimack), who singled in David Swift (Shelter Island/Bates) to cut the score to 5-3. Matt Hesselbirg (Riverhead/Mercy) followed with a single to center to bring in Nicholas Banner (Sag Harbor/Tufts) to score, but on the play, Toole made his second big defensive play of the game, throwing out Max Doninger (North Fork/Saint Peter’s) at the plate to keep the ACBL ahead.
The ACBL appeared to seize control with a three-run seventh inning. An infield single by Braden Shappert (Essex/Marist) led to a run scoring on an error, Frank Scerra (Jersey Shore/Baruch) added an RBI groundout, and John Pericolosi (East Coast/Stony Brook) drove in another run with a groundout to push the lead to 8-4. The HCBL got one back in the bottom of the inning when Matthew Ryan (Riverhead/Adelphi) singled home Hector Francia (Southampton/St. John’s), cutting the deficit down to three runs.
Trailing 8-5 entering the eighth, the HCBL mounted the game’s decisive rally. After Koch led off by reaching base on an error and Hesselbirg singled to right field, Michael Caron ripped a two-run triple to center field, scoring Hesselbirg and Koch to make it 8-7. Moments later, Francia reached on an error that brought home his Southampton teammate Caron to tie the game at 8-8. Swift then delivered the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice to allow Francia to come around to score from second base on another ACBL throwing error, completing a five-run inning and giving the HCBL a 10-8 lead.
Luis Florian (North Fork/Felician) worked a perfect ninth inning to record the save and give the HCBL All-Stars the victory. Dylan Beirne (Westhampton/Adelphi) earned the victory after tossing a scoreless eighth. Jaylen Cruz (LIB/Southern Connecticut St.) was charged with the loss for the ACBL.
The HCBL collected 13 hits, with Hesselbirg going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Caron finished 1-for-2 with the pivotal two-run triple, while Slogik, Suarez, Koch, Ryan, Francia and Swift each drove in a run.
Toole paced the ACBL offense with three hits to go along with his excellent defense, while Shappert had two hits and two runs scored. Morrissey, Wansaw, Tetto, Scerra, Pericolosi, Brosnan, and Toole all recorded an RBI for the ACBL All-Stars.
Caron’s game-changing two-run triple earned the Southampton Breakers standout 2026 HCBL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player honors. He became the fourth Breakers player in the last five HCBL All-Star Games to receive the award, joining Freddy Forgione (SUNY Maritime) in 2022, Ty Gilligan (Dominican) in 2023, and Collin Quintano (Villanova) in 2025, continuing Southampton’s remarkable run of All-Star Game MVP performances.
“It was fun to come out, and we had a great group of guys out on the bench,” said Caron regarding the HCBL comeback. Being selected as an All-Star reserve gave Caron time to have a comradery with his fellow All-Stars “I didn’t play the first five innings, so I got to know them pretty quickly and we had a good time and once I had that big hit, I knew I had to fire them up right there” said Caron to HCBL broadcasters Roman Brunetti and Thomas Gamba after the game.
This marked the second straight year the HCBL All-Stars beat the ACBL All-Stars in the ACBL vs. HCBL format. In the 2025 HCBL All-Star Game, the HCBL got an 8-5 victory over the ACBL last season.