Other 7/8 Games: Bucks Rally Past Aviators; Whalers beat Ospreys in Eight Innings
Shelter Island 8, Westhampton 4
The Shelter Island Bucks continued their hot stretch Wednesday night, erasing an early deficit to defeat the Westhampton Aviators 8-4 in Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League action.
Westhampton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Ryan Adams (Brookdale CC) lined a two-run single to right field.
Shelter Island answered in the third as Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac) singled home JD Stemhagen (Dickinson) to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Aviators got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning when Garrett Mathias (Bucknell) delivered an RBI single to center, restoring Westhampton’s two-run cushion at 3-1.
The Bucks took control with a three-run fourth inning. Jack Pitman (Bentley) started the rally with an RBI double that scored David Swift (Bates), before Connor McGill (Point Loma Nazarene) followed with an RBI single to plate Ethan Harris (St. Lawrence) and tie the game. Moments later, Tucker DeWolf (Wesleyan) singled to center to score McGill, giving Shelter Island its first lead of the night at 4-3.
The Bucks added insurance in the fifth when Harris ripped a two-run double to left field, scoring Cayden Van Dolah (Holy Cross) and Sam Ametrano to extend the advantage to 6-3.
Shelter Island continued to add on in the sixth. Ametrano drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Evan Clark (New Haven), and moments later DeWold crossed the plate on a wild pitch to make it 7-3.
The Bucks capped the scoring in the seventh when DeWolf doubled to left field to bring home Pitman. Westhampton answered with a sacrifice fly from Brett Connolly (Washington (MD), but it was too little, too late as Shelter Island secured the 8-4 victory.
Danny Kerr (1-0) earned the win with a strong five-inning start, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out nine without issuing a walk. Michael Myers (Occidental) pitched the final two innings, giving up one run while recording the save-free finish.
Jack Molini (Le Moyne, 1-4) took the loss for Westhampton after surrendering six runs on nine hits over five innings.
Sag Harbor 5, North Fork 4 (8 Innings)
The Sag Harbor Whalers scored the game’s decisive run in the top of the eighth inning to edge the North Fork Ospreys 5-4 Wednesday night at Cochran Park.
Sag Harbor wasted little time getting on the board as Aaron Vetter (Palm Beach Atlantic) led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to center field, giving the Whalers an early 1-0 lead.
North Fork answered in the second. Max Doninger (Saint Peter’s) drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Justin Pierre, and moments later Nick Porrello (Manhattanville) scored on a passed ball to put the Ospreys in front 2-1.
The Whalers responded in the third. Derek Desmarais (Tufts) tied the game with a solo homer before Tim McGrath (Tufts) worked a bases-loaded walk, giving Sag Harbor a 3-2 advantage.
The Ospreys reclaimed the lead in the fourth, scoring a pair of runs on the result of a passed ball and an error by the Whalers that allowed Porello to score the go-ahead run.
Sag Harbor evened the score in the sixth when Dominick Mancino (Keiser) grounded out to second, allowing Finley Holmes (Palm Beach Atlantic) to score while Desmarais advanced into scoring position after stealing second.
With the game tied entering the eighth and final inning, the Whalers manufactured the go-ahead run on a passed ball, scoring Ethan Righter (Hamilton), giving Sag Harbor the lead. The Whalers would hold North Fork scoreless in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the win.
Despite collecting only four hits, the Whalers capitalized on 11 walks, aggressive baserunning, and timely execution. Vetter and Desmarais each homered, while McGrath and Mancino drove in one run apiece.
North Fork managed just three hits but drew nine walks. Doninger finished with two RBIs, both coming on bases-loaded walks, while the Ospreys also scored twice on passed balls.
Desmarais (2-0) earned the win for Sag Harbor, pitching three innings of scoreless relief, allowing only one hit.