Whalers Walk-Off Over Bucks on Sarro’s Grand Slam
The Sag Harbor Whalers rallied and walked off the Shelter Island Bucks 10-6 in eight innings on Sunday evening at Mashashimuet Park in a matchup between two of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s top teams. With the victory, the Whalers improved to 2-1 on the season, while the Bucks also sit at 2-1.
Sag Harbor struck first in a chaotic bottom of the first inning, scoring five runs despite collecting just one hit. Aaron Vetter (Palm Beach Atlantic) started the rally with a leadoff walk and came around to score on an RBI double by Anthony Sarro (Fairleigh Dickinson). After an error allowed Aidan Callahan (Emerson) to score, the Whalers continued to apply pressure with three consecutive bases-loaded walks. Carter Dickinson (Vermont State – Casteleton), Eddie Morrissey (St. Lawrence), and Hudson Meyer (Oswego State) each drew free passes to force in runs and give Sag Harbor a 5-0 lead.
The Bucks answered immediately in the top of the second. Shelter Island sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs to tie the game. Evan Clark (New Haven) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the first run before JD Stemhagen (Dickinson) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another. Ben Prince (Maine) followed with a bases-loaded walk of his own, and sacrifice flies from Pearson Dodds (St. Lawrence) and Sam Bradford (UMass Dartmouth) completed the rally, evening the score at 5-5.
After the offensive fireworks in the first two innings, pitching took over. Shelter Island’s Dean Ennis (Utica) was outstanding in relief, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out three. On the Sag Harbor side, Brady Ross (Brandeis) and Derek Desmarais (Tufts) combined to keep the Bucks in check after the second inning.
The game remained tied until the top of the eighth when Shelter Island took its first lead. Jack Pitman (Bentley) reached on an error that allowed Prince to score, giving the Bucks a 6-5 advantage and putting the Whalers on the brink of defeat.
Sag Harbor saved its best rally for last.
In the bottom of the eighth, Finley Holmes reached on a leadoff walk and eventually scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Vetter. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Anthony Sarro stepped to the plate and delivered the game’s biggest moment, crushing a walk-off grand slam that also scored Ethan Righter (Hamilton), Tim McGrath (Tufts), and Meyer to complete a five-run inning and secure the 10-6 victory.
Sarro finished with five RBI, including the game-tying rally and the dramatic walk-off blast and was named the 6/14 HCBL Player of the Night for his walk-off grand slam.
Derek Desmarais earned the victory for Sag Harbor, improving to 1-0 after allowing just one unearned run over 3.1 innings of relief while striking out four. Shelter Island reliever Michael Myers (Occidental) was charged with the loss.
Despite combining for only 10 hits, the two teams drew 18 walks and were aided by five total errors in a game that featured plenty of momentum swings before Sarro’s heroics brought it to a memorable conclusion.
The two clubs will meet again on Tuesday on Shelter Island at Fiske Field at Shelter Island in the second game of a home-and-home series.