The South Shore Clippers exploded for seven runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take down the Southampton Breakers 9-3 on Saturday afternoon at William Floyd High School. The victory helped the Clippers bounce back from Friday's close loss to North Fork and improved their record to 8-11, tightening the race for playoff spots in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League.

A tight game through four innings turned into a Clippers rout thanks to timely hitting and opportunistic base running. Anthony Armenia (University of Bridgeport) was the catalyst for South Shore’s offense, driving in three runs, including a two-run triple in the fifth inning that put the Clippers ahead for good. James Eden (Adelphi) added two RBI on a two-hit day, while Anthony Rigogliosi (Adelphi) and Ryan Kiendle (St. John’s) each scored twice to help pace the offense.

After a scoreless first inning, the Clippers struck first with two runs in the bottom of the second. Southampton responded in the third, plating three runs on a two-run single from Luke Ciminiello (Stony Brook) and capitalizing on a South Shore miscue to briefly take a 3-2 lead.

But South Shore’s pitching staff locked down from there. Starter Jacob Galaz (LSU Shreveport) threw two scoreless frames to start, and Jackson Tucholski (SUNY Maritime) earned the win with three innings of three-run ball. Veteran reliever KJ Lavoie (St. Rose) shut the door with two scoreless innings, earning his second save of the summer.

The Breakers were led offensively by Michael Vilardi (Queens) and Nick Slogik (Rowan College at Gloucester), who combined for four hits and two runs scored. However, Southampton couldn’t generate any offense late, managing just one hit over the final three innings.

The Clippers will travel to Sag Harbor on Sunday to play the Whalers in a doubleheader, while the Breakers face the Ospreys in Peconic for a Sunday doubleheader.