The defending Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League champions have been unbeatable as of late. Coming into a crucial doubleheader with the second-place Westhampton Aviators on Sunday, the Long Island Road Warriors carried a five-game win streak including a two-game sweep of the Riverhead Tomcats on Saturday. The flame still burns bright for Neal Heaton’s squad as the league-leading Road Warriors (18-5-0) take both games over Westhampton (13-9-0) on Sunday, 4-2 and 7-4.
The first game of the doubleheader featured a pitcher’s duel between LI’s Dominic Savino and Westhampton’s Jonathan Cole. The only runs that took place with the two studs on the bump were off home runs. Tyler Becker opened up the scoring with a solo shot in the bottom of the first to put the Aviators up 1-0. The Road Warriors responded in the top of the third when Thomas Colombo went deep with a runner on to give Long Island a 2-1 lead. Westhampton made up the run it lost in the third with Tristan Welch’s homer in the fifth to bring the game even once more. Savino’s final line was 5.1 innings, four hits and two strikeouts, while Cole finished with 5 innings, four hits and five K’s. Each of them allowed two earned runs and neither of them earned a decision.
Long Island kept quiet until the top of the seventh (the final inning of regulation in a doubleheader game). Cameron Tomaiko singled to lead off the frame before stealing second and third all in one shot, taking advantage of a poor throw from Michael Amendola. With one out and runners on the corners, Joe Rosselli grounded out to second which allowed Rosselli to cross home and give LI the lead. A single from Patrick Lagravinese moved Peter Theodorellis from second to third, then Marcos Perivolaris scored him with a single on his own to double the Road Warriors’ advantage.
The score was 4-2 and Westhampton had one last chance to keep game 1 alive, and they threatened with two runners on and two outs with leadoff hitter David Hogarth at-bat. But Brandon LaManna closed the door for his sixth save of the summer, earning the Road Warriors their sixth straight win.
The first game of this doubleheader was mediocre at best, but the second was something else. We have officially entered the final month of the regular season and Westhampton needed a win to only be six points out of first, as a loss would put them 10 points back.
Their grit showed in the early stages of game 2 against Sal Zafonte. The Aviators loaded the bases in the bottom of the second and Welch was able to hit a fly ball deep enough to bring home Rob Giovanelli via sacrifice fly.
That run was not to be outdone in the top of the third by Long Island. Rosselli and Lagravinese each got on base for Perivolaris, who would smack a double to tie the game up at 1. Ben McNeill walked to load the diamond for Eric Roubal, but the Queens College Knight popped out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, Westhampton flexed the long-ball once again. This time it was Ryan Steckline, who spends equal time as both a pitcher and a hitter for Charlie Barbieri, that sent a ball long over the fence for a two-run home run. The Aviators then added on to their lead in the following frame, courtesy of an RBI double from Hogarth, making the score 4-1.
Long Island’s win streak looked in jeopardy heading into the fifth. They showed signs of live in the top of the inning with a two-run homer from Perivolaris to bring them within one. On the other side of the ball, Pat McCabe did an exceptional job of keeping the Aviators scoreless, pitching 3.1 innings of five-hit ball after entering in the fourth.
In the top of the seventh, Westhampton nearly had the game. Dean McCarthy, who hadn’t allowed one earned run throughout the entire season, got the first two outs and had Perivolaris down to his last strike. However, Perivolaris managed to get his third hit of the game with a single. After that, Colombo didn’t waste any time but sending a first pitch fastball to right field for a single of his own. That brought McNeill up to the dish. Down to HIS last strike, the NYIT-junior smacked a single up the middle to score Perivolaris and tie the game.
Matt Paghidas would hold Westhampton in the bottom of the seventh and the two teams played the extra inning. Long Island carried its momentum from the seventh into the eighth, getting two runners on with only one out for Matt Codispoti. Codispoti pinch-hit for Rosselli the inning before and struck out looking to lead-off the inning, but the 6’4” catcher used that as motivation in his next at-bat. He crushed McCarthy’s pitch to left-center field for a three-run shot that would give the Road Warriors their first lead of the game.
For the Aviators, they had an opportunity to tie things up in the bottom of the sixth, but Paghidas was just too good. The Maritime-senior kept his season ERA at a cool 0.00 as the Road Warriors pull out a gutsy 7-4 victory.
The two wins gives Long Island a 10-point cushion over Westhampton at the top of the league while extending their win streak to seven. The streak will be put to test once again on Tuesday on the road against the fifth-place North Fork Ospreys. As for the Aviators, they have now lost three straight games and look to get back in the win column Monday against Riverhead.
