By Tucker Terranova/Axcess Baseball

After a long collegiate season and little time to recover before the start of the 2025 Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League (HCBL), some early-season rust would have been understandable.

But for Mark Gajowski — a rising sophomore left-hander and 2024 Riverhead graduate — his debut in summer ball couldn’t have gone much better.

Coming off a strong freshman campaign at the University at Albany where he made 12 appearances including eight starts, Gajowski took the mound for the South Shore Clippers in Thursday’s opener at Aviator Park and delivered four no-hit innings, striking out five to earn the win in a 4-1 victory over the Westhampton Aviators.

The lefty showed composure well beyond his years throughout the outing, treating his HCBL debut like any other start.

“Not much changes for me. It’s the same approach every time I take the mound,” Gajowski said after the win. “I was just trying to pound the zone and let the guys behind me work.”

Gajowski led the way in what turned out to be a banner day for the Clippers’ Long Island contingent, which accounted for all four RBIs and the team’s save.

The Clippers broke through in the second inning when Oyster Bay native Gianni Rizzuto (Pace) lined a two-out single to center, scoring James Eden (Adelphi) for the first run of the season.

Two-out production became a theme for the Clippers, as each of the team’s first three runs came in that scenario.

After Ryan Adams (St. John’s) reached for the second time in as many at-bats, Connetquot product Anthony Armenia (Bridgeport) ripped a run-scoring double down the left-field line to double the lead.

Rizzuto added another RBI in the fourth with a sharp liner off the shortstop’s glove and into left field to plate the Clippers’ third run — more than enough for Gajowski, whose outing came to a close in the fourth with a 3-0 advantage.

“It gave me confidence on the mound, for sure,” Gajowski said about the run support he received. “The fact that I have run support makes it super easy to go out there and do my job.”

Gajowski handed the ball off to Massapequa product Joe Swinarski (New Haven) in the fifth, and the right-hander navigated traffic throughout his outing which resulted in a save.

After striking out the first batter he faced, Swinarski issued a trifecta of walks but limited the damage to just one run, which came on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Grenert (Pima CC).

The Clippers wasted little time responding, quickly reclaiming their three-run cushion in the sixth.

Larry Hotaling (Villanova) came off the bench and sparked the inning with a walk, then swiped second and third base in the same at-bat. With one away, Eden — a MacArthur graduate — hit a routine grounder, but as the throw went to first, Hotaling broke for home and scored on a savvy display of baserunning to extend the lead to 4-1.

The Aviators didn’t go quietly in the seventh, bringing the winning run to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs — including an infield single for their only hit of the contest.

Grant Kennedy (Richmond), the Aviators’ No. 3 hitter, battled deep into the count before launching a pitch to straightaway center. 

Off the bat, it looked like a potential walk-off dagger — but the ball hung just long enough for Rizzuto to track it down on the warning track, securing the final out and a 4-1 opening-day win for the Clippers.

With one game down and 35 to go in a jam-packed six-week schedule, the Clippers know that while opening with a win is a great start, there’s still plenty of baseball ahead.

“It always feels great winning the opener,” Gajowski said. “We know there’s a lot left, but it’s great to grab the first.”

Both teams will get a breather with a scheduled off-day Friday before returning to action Saturday. The Aviators host the North Fork Ospreys at Aviator Field, while the Clippers open their home slate against the Sag Harbor Whalers at William Floyd High School — both games set for 5 p.m