The Shelter Island Bucks defeated the Long Island Road Warriors Friday night, 5-1 at Bellport High School. Shelter Island is now two and a half games behind the first place Westhampton Aviators, with a record of 16-8. Long Island has dropped their last six, with an 8-16-1 record, falling to sixth place.
Stony Brook southpaw Liam Pulsipher got the start for the Road Warriors. He finished the game on the losing end, giving up five runs, three earned, in six and a third innings.
The first two batters of the game for Shelter Island, Mike Guanci Jr of Trinity, and Larson Fontenot of Northwestern State both reached base on infield errors. A groundball of the bat of designated hitter Andy Semo (Fordham) advanced the runners to second and third. A Logan Steenstra (Cowley County CC) base hit, and a Dylan Judd (Umass Amherst) sacrifice fly brought in both runs for a 2-0 Bucks lead after the top of the first.
Manuel Sanchez of Mercy College got the ball for Shelter Island. He gave up one run on five hits in five innings to receive the win. He walked his first batter, Jake Liberatore of Stetson, who then stole second. Liberatore advanced to third on an Eric Roubal(Queens) groundball, and scored on a John Marti(Delaware) sacrifice fly, to cut the Shelter Island lead in half at 2-1.
Both teams were held scoreless in the second. Larson Fontenot lead off the top of the third for the Bucks with a single. Andy Semo walked and then Shortstop Logan Steenstra doubled to the right field wall, scoring Fontenot, and moving Semo to third base. Catcher Dylan Judd stepped to the plate and hit his second straight sacrifice fly, scoring Semo, but Steenstra was thrown out at third on a 7-6-5 double play. After three full innings, Shelter Island led 4-1.
The Road Warriors were held hitless in the third and fourth innings. Mike Guanci, the Shelter Island Second baseman led off the fifth with a hit by pitch, and stole second. Fontenot singled to center, and advanced to second on a throw home from the outfield. When the throw got away from LI Shortstop Dave Soto, Guanci was able to score from third, for a 5-1 Bucks lead.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Chad Pike(Daytona State) singled to for Long Island’s second hit of the game, but Manuel Sanchez was able to retire the next three batters in his fifth and final inning of work.
Pulsipher came back out for the sixth, and retired the lower third of the Bucks lineup in order.
Shelter Island sent Joseph O’Connell (Harvard) to the mound in relief to begin the bottom of the sixth. He walked the first batter, designated hitter Lukas Olsson(Oswego) but then retired three straight with two punch outs and a groundball.
Pulsipher began the top of the seventh, with the Bucks lead at 5-1. He induced a pop fly that he caught himself, off of the bat of right fielder Christian Pierreof St Johns, and that ended Liam Pulsipher’s evening after six and a third. Hofstra’s Mike Mirando came on to finish the seventh, and he did so in order with a groundball to second from Guanci, and a fly ball to center from Fontenot.
In the bottom of the seventh, Long Island center fielder Dan Palermo (Iona) led off with a single up the middle, the third and final hit for the Road Warriors. Palermo was caught stealing at second base, and a strikeout and comebacker to O’Connell ended the seventh, Bucks lead remaining at 5-1.
Long Island Left hander Anthony Jacabacci of the University of Bridgeport pitched the eighth, striking out his first two batters, and retiring the third on a groundball to short.
Bucks Shortstop Logan Steenstra vacated his position to come to the mound in the bottom of the eighth. Bryce Daniel of Dartmouth took his spot at Shortstop. Steenstra recorded two quick outs, a fly ball to center form Roubal, and a strikeout to Marti before Lukas Olsson reached on a throwing error by new Shortstop Daniel. Steenstra struck out Dave Soto(Rutgers) to end the eighth.
Suny Maritime’s Matt Paghidas struck out the side in the top of the ninth for the Road Warriors. In the bottom of the ninth, Steenstra set down LI in order. A groundball to short from Jake McCarthy (Molloy). A strikeout to Jack Ryan (Adelphi), and a groundball to third off of the bat of Dan Palermo. The 5-1 Bucks victory is their third straight, and the Road Warriors have now dropped six games in a row.
Both teams have today off, but will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday July 7th. The Road Warriors will visit Sag Harbor to play two against the Whalers at 2pm. Shelter Island will also play a doubleheader, as they’ll host the Southampton Breakers. Game one is set for 2pm as well.
