Photo Credit: Olivia Daddona

By Chris Sacchi/Axcess Baseball

On a night where the North Fork Ospreys were looking to clinch home-field advantage in the HCBL playoffs, the team rolled out its “Avengers” lineup at home against the Westhampton Aviators. And while Head Coach Vinnie Morelli’s team is full of versatile, talented players, he likes his team’s chances with the starting 9 he presented tonight, which led the way in a 13-3 win for North Fork (20-12-1) over the Westhampton Aviators (12-21-0). 

“They like to call themselves ‘The Avengers’ lineup,” Morelli said. “Those guys have been rolling all year, especially since the All-Star break.” This potent lineup lived up to the nickname, as every player in the starting nine reached base safely. Plus, every hitter either notched an RBI/or scored a run on the clinching night. 

The offensive fireworks started early, as the first three batters came in to score in the bottom of the first. After a pitch hit Rocco Cimino (Pace), James Fagnant (Richmond) smacked an RBI double, followed by a home run by current batting average leader Thomas Matuszewski (Jefferson) to make it 3-0 early. North Fork added two more with their catcher Kevin Schnupp (U Mass) driving in two runs on a bullet RBI double that went down the left field line, making it 5-0 Ospreys in the second. “Guys came out to play, it was a team effort, and the sticks were hot today,” Schnupp told Axcess Baseball after the game. About the postseason, he said, “Just come out, play, have fun. Do the same thing every day.” 

The Aviators were able to plate a couple of runs in the top of the third versus Ospreys starter Nick Munoz (Riverside CC), who earned the win in today’s game. Catcher Kyle Bailey (Dickinson) powered a sacrifice fly that almost left the ballpark, and Grant Dalton (Lackawanna College) notched an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-2. 

In the bottom of the fourth, James Fagnant scored Cimino to add another North Fork run, before an explosion in the fifth, as they took advantage of some erratic pitching. 

Trevor Dosenbach (Richmond) and Schnupp worked bases loaded walks for RBI, while Cimino’s 6-3 fielder's choice allowed Dosenbach to score. Anthony Equale (Washington (MO) used his speed to score on a wild pitch, and the Ospreys took a 10-2 advantage into the sixth inning.

In the top of the sixth, Brody Sprinkle (Azusa Pacific) blasted a mammoth shot into left field to notch his second home run of the summer, getting a good crowd on its feet.

Dylan Johnson, entering his senior season at St. Johns, talked a lot about the leadership of this Aviators team on the HCBL broadcast. 

“Now, being one of the older guys, I like to try and lead, try and teach, be there for this team and also just have fun in the summer,” Johnson said on the broadcast. “It’s been a whole lot of fun, and I wish the summer lasted longer.” 

Johnson also shared many candid and emotional words about the importance of his family, who is a former HCBL host family, and his older brother, Kyle Johnson, who played for the Aviators in 2019 and 2021 summers, and won a 2019 title. 

“I get choked up thinking about everything he’s done for me,” Dylan said of his brother, who always brought Dylan along to learn from and hang out with his teammates. “I would be nowhere without my older brother.” 

In the bottom of the sixth, North Fork earned a de facto walkoff as they reached the ten-run mercy rule, and celebrated in left field to capture home field advantage in the HCBL postseason. 

“When you come out here as a coach, you're looking for a good group of guys,” Morelli said postgame about his group. “From day one, we looked at this group and were excited about them… Kyle (McLaughlin) can tell you I was smiling ear-to-ear.” 

The Ospreys begin their quest for a championship on Thursday night at 7:00, hosting the #4 seed. Their opponent remains to be seen, as the league standings have some exciting opportunities towards the end of the season. The Sag Harbor Whalers (14-15-4) are trying to break into the top 4 and make the playoffs, right behind the Shelter Island Bucks (15-18-0). Both of those teams play at 2:00 on Sunday. 

The game started at 7:07, as host families were recognized on Host Family Appreciation Night. Leading the charge was GM Todd Newman, who hosts four players, including Diego Martinez-Gomez (Riverside CC) and Munoz, two pitchers who led the way in this clinching win.