By Tucker Terranova/Axcess Baseball

The message for the Sag Harbor Whalers’ final game of the regular season was simple: keep their summer going.

For a group that stayed in the race through all 36 games — and built a tight brotherhood over six weeks of competition — Tuesday’s finale offered the Whalers a chance to extend their season with a win. They did just that, defeating the Westhampton Aviators 6-3 to clinch a playoff berth on the final day of the season.

“We get along really well and are close on and off the field,” said Derek Desmarais (Tufts), who recorded three hits. “We wanted to keep this going and stay out here a little longer.”

Sag Harbor controlled its own destiny, needing a win, tie, or a Shelter Island Bucks loss to clinch a berth. The Whalers left no doubt, coming into the contest with a noticeable sense of urgency.

Leadoff man Mario Cubello (St. John Fisher) walked and stole second base before Desmarais lined a first-pitch single to right to open the scoring. Desmarais then stole second, and Ethan Righter (Hamilton) added an RBI single of his own. Righter later scored on a designed first-and-third play, giving Sag Harbor a 3-0 lead in the first.

“We were hopping on first-pitch fastballs early today,” Desmarais said. “We’ve all been seeing the ball well lately, so we wanted to just keep the momentum going.”

Westhampton responded in the second. Jasper Adelman (Lehigh) doubled to put two Aviators in scoring position, and Luke Rizzo (College of Wooster) put them on the board with an RBI single. Mikey Brunetti (Bradley) followed with a sacrifice fly to center to cut the lead to 3-2.

Derrick Dellea (Lasell) took the mound in the third and settled in after a leadoff walk, inducing a double play and striking out the next batter. The right-hander delivered a quality start with four innings of two-run ball, allowing just two hits while walking four.

As Shelter Island took a 1-0 lead in its game against Southampton, Sag Harbor entered the fifth inning needing insurance.

Westhampton, perhaps scoreboard watching as well, rallied in the fifth. A flare to the opposite field by Andrew Grenert (Pima CC) dropped in for an RBI single, tying the game at 3-3.

The Whalers quickly answered in the sixth.

After Kieran Shea (St. John’s) walked and Matteo Cubello (Saint Anselm) singled, Mario Cubello delivered a run-scoring single to left to make it 4-3. Chris Morabito (Bucknell) followed with a two-run single, extending the lead to 6-3 with six outs to go.

Then, for the second straight week, Morabito made a game-altering defensive play in right field, leaping to rob the Aviators of a two-run homer.

“He’s been making some crazy plays out there all summer,” Desmarais said. “Last week he jumped over the right field fence, which is probably the craziest catch I’ve ever seen, so I felt comfortable knowing he is behind me.”

With momentum fully shifted, Desmarais took over on the mound and shut the door, tossing the final three innings and allowing just one run while striking out four to earn the win.

“My fastball was working today, and I was able to work off that,” he said. “I was filling it up and trusting my defense.”

The Whalers finish the regular season at 15-16-4 and advance to the semifinals, where they’ll face the top-seeded North Fork Ospreys on Thursday night at Jean Cochran Park in Game 1 of a best-of-three series.

They know the challenge North Fork presents — but they also know anything can happen in the postseason.

“We have to leave the rankings out of it,” Desmarais said. “We’ve played well against North Fork this summer, so we’re entering the playoffs with confidence and know anything can happen.”

Westhampton ends its season at 13-22, finishing sixth for the second consecutive year.