by Tucker Terranova
Nick Pratt walk-off 3-R HR in the bottom of the 9th propels the Blue Team to a 9-6 win in the @HamptonsLeague All Star Game pic.twitter.com/w6D7oq9rVn
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 13, 2024
The Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s brightest stars descended upon Mashashimuet Park on Saturday for the annual HCBL All-Star game.
In a contest showcasing 49 of the finest players the Hamptons has to offer, Nick Pratt (UMBC) stole the show. Pratt launched a dramatic walk-off three-run homer, capping off an improbable six-run rally and earning him the game’s Most Valuable Player award. He is the first North Fork Osprey to achieve this honor since Austin Miller in 2014.
Pratt’s heroics secured a victory for Team Blue, who entered the sixth inning trailing 4-0 but staged a remarkable comeback to win the contest with a final score of 9-6.
Team Red’s bats wasted no time igniting the action, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the first. Briggs Loveland (Emerson) capitalized on a wild pitch to score the game’s opening run. Braydon Wooldridge (California Davis) followed with a single, driving in Michael Vilardi (Queens) and putting Team Red up by two.
Looking to add some early insurance, Team Red threatened again in the second inning with runners on first and second. JD Stemhagen (Manhattan) seized the opportunity, lining a pitch to center field for an RBI single. In the fifth, Stemhagen struck once more, this time taking advantage of a wild pitch to score, extending Team Red’s lead to 4-0.
Through five frames, the story of the afternoon was Team Red’s dominant pitching staff. Aiden Urbom (Dakota St.) and Joseph Wozny (RIT) combined to surrender only two hits, keeping Team Blue off the board and maintaining a four-run lead.
The tide shifted in the bottom of the sixth as Team Blue began chipping away at their deficit. Trey McGowan (SUNY Oswego) brought home their first run with an infield single.
In the seventh and eighth innings, Team Blue added a run apiece through some small ball. An RBI groundout from Nicholas Lorenzo (Richmond) in the seventh cut the lead in half, and an error brought home Anthony Equale (Washington U) in the eighth, narrowing the deficit to just one run.
In the ninth, Tyler Smith (St. Peter’s) provided some much-needed cushioning for Team Red, launching a 2-RBI double that extended their lead to six runs, putting them just three outs away from victory.
The bottom of the ninth delivered all the fireworks one could ask for in such a spectacle. Ray White (Maritime) was tasked with securing the win, but Team Blue had other ideas.
Tucker Genovesi (St. Bonaventure) jolted the Team Blue offense early with an RBI double to score Anthony Armenia (Bridgeport). McGowan’s second RBI single of the afternoon followed, and EJ Ettinger (New Haven) joined the rally with an RBI single of his own to tie the game at 6, bringing Pratt to the plate as the game’s winning run.
With runners on the corners and one away, Pratt lived out a moment that many only dream of. Currently sitting second in the HCBL in average (.386) and third in RBIs (21), Pratt crushed White’s offering well beyond the wall for a walk-off three-run homer, sealing a stunning comeback victory for Team Blue.
Pratt’s Ospreys are enjoying a strong season, currently holding second place in the HCBL standings. Tomorrow, they resume regular-season action against White and the Westhampton Aviators. As we’ve entered the dog days of summer, this matchup was already set to be intense, with both teams vying for crucial playoff positions. However, after the All-Star game where rivals became teammates, the competition promises to be even more heated with rivalries renewed.
