For the second consecutive game the Riverhead Tomcats came from behind to win in the bottom of the ninth in front of their home crowd at Sgt. Jonathan Keller Field in Calverton. Riverhead scored two runs in the ninth to beat the Westhampton Aviators by a final score of 5-4 on Friday. It was the Tomcats fifth consecutive victory with all of them occurring at the Tomcats final homestand of the season.

The Aviators would jump out in front scoring three runs in the top of the first inning all with two outs to take a 3-0 lead. Westhampton would get another run in the top of the fourth on a wild pitch to take a 4-0 lead on Riverhead.

Riverhead would score twice in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Louis Antos (Queens) and an RBI single by Ben Jackson (East Tennessee State).

The Tomcats would get another run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI fielder’s choice from Eduardo Malinowski (Pennsylvania) that scored Luke Oliphant (UMass).

In the bottom of the ninth, Riverhead would get the leadoff hitter Oliphant on base with a hit by pitch. A Westhampton error on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Stefl (St. John’s) moved him over to third base. Alex Baratta (Binghamton) would then drive an RBI single to tie the score. Baratta would advance to second on an error on the play.

Later in the next at-bat when trying to reach third on the result of a wild pitch the throw by the Westhampton catcher to throw Baratta out at third went wild giving the Tomcats the victory.

Riverhead with the win is now one point ahead of Long Island for the top playoff spot in the HCBL. Westhampton is currently tied with Sag Harbor for the three seed in the HCBL postseason chase.