by Tucker Terranova
Aden Soroca discusses his great outing and the recent hot streak that has catapulted the Southampton Breakers to the HCBL Championship after a 8-0 win pic.twitter.com/FqlUAjyQia
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 26, 2024
The Southampton Breakers’ season has been defined by adversity from the get-go. After winning their first game against the South Shore Clippers, they faced a challenging stretch, dropping their next six contests and finding themselves at the bottom of the HCBL standings. With nine games remaining, they needed six victories to reach the playoffs and responded with an impressive 6-0-1 run to secure their spot.
One of the most thrilling aspects of the playoffs is that every team starts with a clean slate; regular season accolades fade away, and success is measured solely by the pursuit of a championship. After winning Game 1 against the top-seeded Sag Harbor Whalers, the Breakers returned home and finished the job with an 8-0 victory, advancing to their first HCBL Championship Series since 2021.
Southampton turned to Aden Soroca (Hamilton) to take the mound against a formidable Sag Harbor lineup. Soroca faced an early challenge when Triple Crown winner and expected MVP Jack Gold (Pomona-Pitzer) led off with a double. However, Soroca showcased his resilience, quickly settling in and leaving Gold stranded on base. He went on to retire 10 of the next 13 batters he faced
Soroca delivered arguably his best outing of the season, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing just two hits and four walks while striking out four, all on 102 pitches, as he shut out the Whalers.
“I came out of the gate fired up,” Soroca told Axcess Baseball after the game. “My slider wasn’t there but my fastball was. I got in a groove early and the boys put up runs behind me while making the plays in the field.”
Collin Quintano (Villanova) ignited the scoring for Southampton in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly. Shortly after, Ty Gilligan (Dominican) followed up with an RBI double that trickled down the left-field line, extending Southampton’s lead to 2-0 after just one inning.
With Sag Harbor starter Will Darrell (Vassar) exiting the game with a runner on first and two outs in the fifth, Southampton’s lineup reignited, scoring three crucial runs. Quintano drove in a run with an RBI double that split the left-center gap, then promptly scored on the next pitch when Gilligan flared a hit off Robert Hughes (FDU Florham) to left field and advanced to second. Michael Vilardi (Queens) capped off the inning with a sharp liner through the 5-6 hole, bringing Gilligan home and extending Southampton’s lead to five.
The struggles for the Sag Harbor bullpen continued in the sixth inning when Kris Vinski (St. Joseph’s Brooklyn) plunked two of the first three batters he faced. Tim Henning (Binghamton) took advantage of the situation, launching a three-run homer to right field that extended Southampton’s lead to 8-0 and felt like the final blow.
Southampton completes the sweep and advances to the 2024 HCBL Championship Series with a 8-0 win! pic.twitter.com/t2zojZw42d
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 26, 2024
It indeed was the final blow, as innings seven through nine were largely academic. Dominic Vassallo (LIU) and Anthony Pellagrini (Middlebury) were exceptional in relief of Soroca, allowing just two hits over 3.1 innings, further solidifying the Breakers’ dominant performance and helping secure Southampton’s eighth consecutive win.
“We’ve been playing really well as a team. Everyone has been hitting well. Tim’s home run was huge today but everyone has been knocking them lately,” Soroca said.
Now, Southampton will continue their quest for their first HCBL title since 2014 against the third-seeded Shelter Island Bucks. The best-of-three series begins on Sunday at 4 PM at Shelter Island HS.
“I can’t remember the last time we lost. If vibes were a metric we’d be number one right now”.
