Westhampton 10, Shelter Island 9

On a wild Wednesday night at Fiske Field, the Westhampton Aviators and Shelter Island Bucks engaged in one of the most dramatic games of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League season. In a seesaw battle that featured offensive outbursts, defensive miscues, and late-inning drama, the Aviators held off a furious Bucks comeback to escape with a 10-9 victory.

Westhampton wasted little time jumping ahead, scoring in the first and adding three runs in the third to build a 4-0 lead. Mikey Brunetti (Bradley) sparked the offense with his fourth home run of the season, part of a 1-for-3 night that also included two runs scored. Third baseman Tim Ford (Fordham) and first baseman Brody Sprinkle (Azusa Pacific) also chipped in RBIs as the Aviators exploited early struggles from Shelter Island starter Andrew Rucci (Wagner).

The Aviators added four more runs in the fourth, taking advantage of wildness from Bucks reliever Brennan Shapiro (Babson). The Aviators got RBI in the inning from Jasper Adelman (Lehigh), Ford, Andrew Grenert (Pima CC), and Kyle Bailey (Dickinson) to push Westhampton's lead to 8-1.

Down by seven entering the bottom of the fifth, Shelter Island began chipping away. Tommy Munch (Occidental) drove in a run on an RBI single in the fifth, then the Bucks exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth to get within a run at 9-8 Westhampton. Munch delivered the big blow with a two-run single, capping off a 3-for-5, four-RBI performance. Billy Fluharty (Bucknell, 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, stolen base) and Alex Barrist (Lafayette), John Gannon (St. Lawrence), and Matt Holmes (Husson) also drove in runs during the inning.

Westhampton added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on an RBI double from Adelman to make the score 10-8 in favor of the Aviators.

The Bucks didn’t go quietly in the bottom of the seventh. Fluharty would drive in his second RBI of the game on a base hit to cut the score to 10-9. However, Aviators reliever Luca Occhiogrosso (Suffolk CC) settled down just in time, getting a double play and a groundout from Munch to get the win for Westhampton.

Westhampton's Evan Chan (Everett CC) earned the win despite allowing six hits and two earned runs over five innings, while Occhiogrosso gave up seven runs (only one earned) across his two innings of work

Southampton 7, North Fork 3

The Southampton Breakers knocked off the first-place North Fork Ospreys 7-3 at Southampton High School. With the win, the Breakers improved to 12-11-2, vaulting them into sole possession of second place in the standings—two points ahead of the Shelter Island Bucks—and pulling them within five points of the Ospreys (15-9-1) with ten games remaining in the regular season.

After the Ospreys scored single runs in the first and second innings—including a solo homer from catcher Nick Pratt (UMBC)—the Breakers answered with four runs in the bottom of the first. Patrick Gozdan (West Chester) drove in a run on a single, and then Luke Treese (Haverford) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing in another run. Jimmy Ernst (LIU) would have the big hit in the inning for Southampton with a two-run single that gave the Breakers a 4-1 lead.

The Breakers capitalized again in the fourth, plating three more runs. Michael Vilardi (Queens) delivered the key blow with a two-run single. Andrew Houghton (Cornell) turned in a strong performance on the mound for Southampton, tossing six innings of three-run ball. Despite surrendering a pair of solo home runs—one to Pratt and another to Trevor Dosenbach (Richmond)—Houghton limited the damage and struck out seven Ospreys hitters. Marco Citro (Holy Cross) closed the door with a scoreless seventh.

North Fork managed seven hits on the evening, with Steven Kienzle (Southern New Hampshire) collecting two of them. In addition to Pratt and Dosenbach's solo shots, Brendan Duffy (SUNY Oneonta) chipped in an RBI single in the top of the first.

With Wednesday’s win, the Breakers improved their playoff positioning. They now sit two points ahead of Shelter Island for the second playoff spot and closed the gap to five points behind first-place North Fork.

South Shore 9, Sag Harbor 1

The South Shore Clippers utilized the long ball and excellent starting pitching from Jace Alvino (Southern Connecticut St.) to beat the Sag Harbor Whalers by a final score of 9-1 at William Floyd High School on Wednesday.

South Shore hit four home runs as a team, including a pair of solo shots from Ryan Kiendle (St. John’s). Larry Hotaling (Villanova) and Michael Prisco (Queens) also had home runs in the game for the Clippers. Hotaling finished the day with a pair of hits and three RBI, giving him a total of 15 for the season.

Alvino went six innings for South Shore, allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks, improving his record to 2-1. Andrew Dalton (SUNY Oneonta) pitched a scoreless seventh inning in his season debut for the Clippers.