In a tale of two very different ballgames, the Sag Harbor Whalers and the South Shore Clippers split a high-octane doubleheader Saturday in Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League action, with South Shore taking Game 1 in a 15-9 slugfest and Sag Harbor roaring back for a 13-3 mercy-rule victory in Game 2.

Game 1: Clippers Come Back From Down 9-0 to score 15 Unanswered

The opener saw the Clippers unleash an offensive explosion, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, including a pair of home runs, to erase an early 9-0 Sag Harbor lead and take the first game of the twin bill by scoring 15 unanswered runs.

Sag Harbor got off to a fast start with a run in the first, scoring four runs in the top of the first. Derek Desmarais (Tufts) got the Whalers on the board with a two-run double. Jared Shear (NYU) would drive in the second Sag Harbor run of the first inning on an RBI single to make the score 3-0. Ethan Righter (Hamilton) followed with an RBI single of his own to make the score 4-0 in favor of the Whalers.

The Whalers would add four more runs in the top of the second inning and would then add another run in the top of the third on a solo shot from Chris Morabito (Bucknell) to lead 9-0.

South Shore would start chipping away at the lead in the bottom of the third. Ryan Kiendle (St. John’s) would get the Clippers on the board with an RBI single, and then a Sag Harbor error would allow Michael Prisco (Queens) to score, cutting the score to 9-2.

The South Shore bats came alive in the fourth inning in historic fashion. South Shore would load the bases for Kiendle, who ripped a three-run triple, cutting the deficit to 9-5. Ryan Adams (St. John’s) brought his Red Storm teammate into score on an RBI single, putting the Clippers within three runs.

Anthony Armenia (Bridgeport) then would hit a two-run home run that put the Clippers within a run, now only down 9-8 to the Whalers. Later, with two on and two out, James Eden (Adelphi) hit a three-run home run that gave the Clippers an 11-9 lead.

The Clippers would score four more runs in the bottom of the sixth, including a three-run home run from Kiendle, which was his first home run of the season. The home run by Kiendle gave him seven RBI for Game 1, which set a new Clippers single-game franchise record.

Dominic Carleo (Pace), in his third inning of relief for South Shore, pitched a scoreless seventh to get the save. Carleo pitched the last three innings, only allowing one hit with four strikeouts and a walk. John Keane (Queens) who started for South Shore picked up the win.

Game 2: Whalers Dominate Game 2 with 13-3 Mercy Rule Win

The Whalers responded in the nightcap, scoring early and often to force a 13-3 victory over the Clippers in just six innings, thanks to the HCBL’s mercy rule.

Sag Harbor jumped ahead with two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run from Desmarais. The Whalers then added four more runs in the top of the second inning to lead 6-0.

Matteo Cubello (St. Anselm) hit a three-run home run in the fifth for the Whalers, and they would then force the ten-run mercy rule when Jaxon Beiswenger (Bucknell) hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth that made the score 13-3, ending the game.

Morabito went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBI, while Matteo Cubello contributed with four RBI and the home run in the fifth.

On the mound, Eric Osterhus (Fordham) delivered a solid start for Sag Harbor, allowing just three runs across four innings, while Righter pitched a scoreless fifth inning in relief. Osterhus improved his record on the season to 2-2 with the win.

South Shore managed just five hits in the Game 2 loss, with Michael Prisco driving in two runs on a single in the fourth inning

Playoff Implications

The split leaves the South Shore Clippers at 17-15-1, just one point behind the second-place Southampton Breakers (17-14-2). Meanwhile, the Whalers’ Game 2 win improves their record to 14-15-4, keeping them narrowly ahead of the Shelter Island Bucks (15-18-0) by two points in the race for the final playoff berth.

On Sunday, Sag Harbor is home to play the Westhampton Aviators, while the Clippers face the North Fork Ospreys at home. Both games have start times of 2 PM and can be heard live on Meridix.com by clicking the “LISTEN LIVE” link on the hamptonsbaseball.org front page.