Photo Credit: Olivia Daddona

The North Fork Ospreys continued their red-hot stretch on Friday afternoon at Cochran Park, edging out the South Shore Clippers 5-4 to secure their fifth straight victory and strengthen their hold on first place in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League standings. North Fork now sits at 14-5-1, while the Clippers fell to 7-11. The Ospreys' closest competitor, the Southampton Breakers (9-9-2), trails by nine points in second place.

The Ospreys wasted no time getting on the board, plating runs in each of the first four innings to build a 5-1 lead. James Fagnant (Richmond) delivered the biggest blow of the game with a two-run home run in the third, part of a three-RBI performance for the freshman shortstop. Vincent Mariniello (Franklin & Marshall) added an RBI single in the fourth inning. 

The Ospreys also used their legs to apply pressure, swiping 12 bases as a team, including three steals from Mariniello and two each from Fagnant and Trevor Dosenbach (Richmond). North Fork set a new single-game franchise record for stolen bases, beating the previous record of nine set last season against Southampton.

On the mound, Sebastian Perez (La Salle) pitched five strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven to improve to 2-1. Diego Reilly-Bell (Fordham) worked the final two frames, running into trouble in the seventh but ultimately slamming the door after the Clippers mounted a late rally.

South Shore chipped away at the deficit in the final inning. Matt Gileno (Riverside CC) doubled home two runs, cutting the Ospreys' lead to 5-4. Earlier in the game, Gileno also scored a run and stole a base as part of a three-hit day. Sam Leonard (Alcorn State) added an RBI single, and Anthony Scarabino (Albany) contributed a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to break up the shutout.

The Clippers stranded ten runners and were stymied early by Perez. Clippers’ starter Sebastian Lippman (Georgia Tech) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) over three innings, despite striking out six. Relievers Jack Castillo (SUNY Plattsburgh) and Joe Swinarski (New Haven) combined to hold North Fork scoreless over the final two-plus innings.

The Ospreys' combination of timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and strong pitching has them firmly atop the league standings as they seek to keep their winning ways alive. South Shore, meanwhile, will look to regroup as the season's second half heats up.