Ospreys Back Aguirre with Five-Run Fourth to Beat Tomcats
The North Fork Ospreys combined a disciplined approach at the plate with another solid pitching performance to earn a convincing 10-2 victory over the Riverhead Tomcats on Tuesday in Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League action.
North Fork drew nine walks, collected 10 hits, and scored in four different innings, while Riverhead was limited to just two hits all night.
On the mound, Isaac Aguirre (Pomona-Pitzer) improved to 3-1, allowing just one hit and one run over five innings while walking six and striking out two. Despite issuing several free passes, Aguirre consistently escaped trouble, with Riverhead leaving runners stranded throughout his outing. Bradyn Thompson (Bates) closed out the final two innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out four.
The Ospreys broke through in the third inning after Eddie Torres (Post) reached base on a leadoff walk and eventually scored when Manny Carreras (Pace) reached on a Riverhead error, giving North Fork a 1-0 lead.
The game turned in the fourth as North Fork erupted for five runs. With the bases loaded, Rocco Cimino (Pace) worked an RBI walk before Tristan Govea (Felician) followed with another bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0. Carreras then drew the third consecutive RBI walk of the inning, and Andrew Baay (Middlebury) capped the rally with a two-run single, extending the advantage to 6-0.
Riverhead answered with its first run in the bottom of the fourth when Kevin Schnupp (UMass Amherst) lined an RBI double, scoring Matt Hesselbirg to cut the deficit to 6-1.
The Ospreys quickly regained momentum in the fifth. Torres delivered a two-run single to score Justin Pierre (American International) and Max Dushney (Bates), although Nicolas Martini (Eastern Connecticut State) was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the play, giving North Fork an 8-1 lead.
North Fork added two more insurance runs in the sixth as Pierre singled home Dushney and Carreras, stretching the lead to 10-1.
The Tomcats scored their final run in the seventh when Zach DeMilt (Adelphi) singled home Jagger Adamo (LIU), but the rally ended there as the Ospreys secured the 10-2 victory.
North Fork’s offense was led by Baay, Torres, and Pierre, who each drove in two runs. Carreras finished with two RBI despite recording just one official at-bat, while Cimino and Govea each contributed RBI walks as part of the patient offensive attack. The Ospreys finished with 10 hits and nine walks.