@RHTomcats hold on for the 5-3 victory over the @SH_Breakers. Starting pitcher Nick Desalvo spoke with reporter Matt Weinstein after recording the win with 7 K’s through 5 innings. @HamptonsLeague pic.twitter.com/CrtcvJZNP0
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 4, 2019
by Matt Weinstein
The Riverhead Tomcats picked up a win on Monday evening as they returned home to Veterans Memorial Park in Calverton to face the Southampton Breakers. Riverhead defeated Southampton 5-3 to jump to 2-1 early in the 2019 Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League Season. The Breakers fell to 0-3 with the loss.
LIU Brooklyn right hander Nick DeSalvo got the victory for the Tomcats. DeSalvo pitched five innings allowing one run on six hits, striking out seven in the process. On the losing end for the Breakers was Hofstra’s Robert Lucano who gave up two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five.
The only run DeSalvo gave up came in the top of the first inning. LIU Post’s Chris Wasson was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning and was quickly driven in by a triple from Richmond’s Johnny Hipsman. DeSalvo came right back to strike out the next two batters to end the first inning, and kept the Breakers from scoring again, only allowing five more hits over his next four innings of work. When asked what pitches worked for DeSalvo in his start he said “really just my fastball. I tried working in the slider a couple of times, developing it over time, but really, I was just working with my fastball today.”
The Tomcats trailed 1-0 until the bottom of the third inning. Center fielder David Kale (Holy Cross) led the inning off with a double to left field. He advanced to third on a ground ball to short off of the bat of St. Mary’s infielder Bryce Willets. Second Basemen Louis Antos (Queens College) drew a six-pitch walk before Louisiana Tech first baseman Bryce Wallace drove Kale in with a sacrifice fly to deep right center to tie the game. Riverhead took the lead one inning later when Penn’s Andrew Hernandez launched a leadoff triple to the left center field wall. Shortstop Noah Centeno (Sacred Heart) drove him in on a ground ball to shortstop to give Riverhead a 2-1 lead over Southampton after 4 innings.
Right hander Josh Becker of UMASS-Lowell came on in relief of DeSalvo in the 6th inning. After giving up a hit to the first batter he faced, catcher Reed Babin leading off the 6th inning, Becker settled in and threw two and two thirds shutout innings walking 3 and striking out 5.
In the Bottom of the 7th, Riverhead struck for three more runs all on just one hit. Southampton reliever Chase Smith walked the first three batters of the inning to load the bases. An error, another walk, and an Andrew Hernandez single all drove in one run each and ended the outing for Smith. Jacob Newman came on to stop the bleeding striking out his first two batters followed by a fly ball out to end the 7th inning, leaving the bases loaded.
Riverhead’s Becker exited the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 8th, but Richmond’s Brian Craven was able to get Towson’s Isaiah Winikur to ground out back to the mound to end the top of the 8th, with Riverhead’s 5-1 lead intact. Craven came back out for the top of the ninth with Riverhead up four to try and complete the four-out save against the top of Southampton’s order. Justice Thompson (Northwest Florida State) led off with a walk, but was erased on Chris Wasson’s fielder’s choice to second. Wasson then advanced to second on Hipsman’s infield single, and the runners advanced to second and third on a passed ball. St Thomas Aquinas’ Kyle LaGrutta pinch hit for Reed Babin and walked to load the bases. Designated hitter Robbie Holmes of Monmouth laced a hard ground ball to second that Louis Antos couldn’t handle, and two runs scored, cutting Riverhead’s lead to 5-3. With the tying run on first and one out, Mike Ferrara (UNC Greensboro) grounded out into an unassisted double play to Antos at second to end the game.
The Riverhead Tomcats, now 2-1, will host the North Fork Ospreys at 5pm on Tuesday the 4th. Southampton will host the Long Island Road Warriors, with first pitch also scheduled for 5pm.
