HCBL
Noah Centeno Delivers Clutch 2-R Single to Deliver 9-7 Victory for Riverhead
by Chris Sacchi Here’s the big hit for Centeno, in a dream-like scenario. pic.twitter.com/BANxU5fMsm — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 11, 2019 While baseball is a game of many situations, there may be one that tops them all in terms of intensity. As a young baseball fan dreaming of the major leagues, a 3-2, 2 out, bases loaded opportunity with a chance to win in the ninth inning is a dream scenario. In a matchup between the Riverhead Tomcats and the Sag Harbor Whalers in the Hamptons League In Sag Harbor, Riverhead’s Noah Centeno was in the exact spot, with his team trailing by one run. Sag Harbor’s Nathan Moore delivered the fateful pitch, and Centeno delivered with a two RBI single to give his team a permanent 9-7 lead. Despite the penultimate scenario, this game had many ...
LI Road Warriors Snap Nine Game Losing Streak With 10 Inning Win
The Long Island Road Warriors snapped their nine game losing streak Tuesday evening at home, as they defeated the North Fork Ospreys 5-4 in ten innings. Chris Mott of NYIT got the start for Long Island on the mound. In six innings of work, Mott gave up three runs on six hits, striking out four in the no-decision start. North Fork’s Joe Tardiff (Cortland) led the game off with a single to left, and stole second. Tyrese Clayborne of Texas Southern, singled in Tardiff for the first run of the game. One batter later, third baseman Tyler Gilespy (Campbell) singled in Javier Vaz (LUS Eunice) to give North Fork a 2-0 lead after the top of the first. With a 2-0 lead, Pace University’s Joe Pizzingrillo came to the mound for the Ospreys in the bottom of the first. With one out, Jake McCarthy (Mol...
Bobby Vath Fires A No-Hitter, Brian Morrell Hits 2-R Walk-Off HR
by Chris Sacchi In a 2-0 walkoff @RHTomcats victory over the Shelter Island Bucks in the @HamptonsLeague, Bobby Vath earns the postgame interview by firing a no hitter in the W. He talks to @SachChristopher about the no-no and the game plan that went into it, presented by @hamptoncoffee pic.twitter.com/fYpfaOIVdb — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 8, 2019 In the words of the late Great Hall of Fame player Ernie Banks, “let’s play two!” The Riverhead Tomcats and Shelter Island Bucks did just that, and one player put himself in the history books. Game one ​featured a pair of right hand starters that absolutely controlled the game. Bobby Vath ​took the mound for Riverhead, and Quinten Cooleen ​started opposite him for Shelter Island. Vath, who is set to transfer from University of ...
Dylan Judd, Shelter Island Defeat LI Road Warriors
​​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, a...
Dan Franchi Sets HCBL Hits Record in Westhampton Aviators Victory
by Chris Sacchi A beautiful Friday afternoon game between the Westhampton Aviators and the Sag Harbor Whalers came down to a close 5-4 victory for host Westhampton, with an added historic milestone. Sag Harbor went down quickly with two ground outs to start the game against George Washington right handed starter Harrison Cohen. Whalers three hitter and shortstop Brock Franks then hit the first pitch he saw right back from where he came for a hard hit line drive single up the middle. Whalers center fielder Andrew Bates then followed with a long shot to straight away center field that was easily extra bases. Frank’s came around third base hard trying to score, but a great throw in from the outfield from Aviators center fielder Dan Franchi cut off Sag Harbor from a first inning run to end t...
Riverhead Tomcats Slow Down North Fork Ospreys
The Riverhead Tomcats stopped the red hot North Fork Ospreys in their tracks Tuesday evening, as Riverhead picked up a 9-3 victory at Veterans Memorial Park in Calverton. Quinnipiac right hander Gabriel Romano got the start for Riverhead on the mound. The Ospreys struck first, plating two to begin the game. Centerfielder Joe Tardiff of Cortland led off the game with an infield single, and advanced to second on his 9th stolen base of the season. Drake Peggs (Eastern Michigan) walked followed by LSU Eunice Shortstop Javier Vaz’ bunt single to load the bases with nobody out. Romano was able to record two outs on a strikeout and a fly ball, but walked Tyrese Claiborne (North Central Texas) and Anthony Fontana (Furman) to put North Fork up 2-0. In the bottom half of the first, Plattsburgh’s Al...
North Fork Ospreys Stay Hot With 4-0 Victory
The North Fork Ospreys picked up their fifth win in their last six games over the Sag Harbor Whalers at home Friday night, by a score of 4-0. After a slow start to the season, the Ospreys are now 8-16, and the Whalers fall to 11-10 with the loss. It was a pitcher by committee type of night for the Ospreys. Adelphi’s Josh Rovner got the start and threw the first three innings of the game for North Fork, not allowing a hit. In the top of the first inning, the first two batters Rovner faced reached base, on an error, and a walk, but Rovner settled in and retired the next nine straight. Left hander Joe Nemchek of Southern Connecticut State got the ball for Sag Harbor. In six innings, he gave up just one run on five hits, with six strikeouts, but he received the loss. Through three innings, ...
Nick Murray Pitches Brilliantly in Sag Harbor’s 2-0 Win
It was a pitcher’s duel at Southampton High School on Thursday evening, as the Sag Harbor Whalers defeated the Southampton Breakers 2-0 on the road. Sag Harbor advances to 11-9 on the season, while Southampton falls to 5-14-1. Nick Murray of the University of Cincinnati got the start on the mound for Sag Harbor. Murray received the victory as he shutout the Breakers through seven innings, giving up three hits and three walks, striking out seven. On the losing end for Southampton was Southpaw Cole Humes of Lehigh, who went seven and a third, giving up two runs, on five hits, with three strikeouts and a walk. Both teams threatened in the first inning but failed to score. Sag Harbor second baseman Matt Woods (Bryant) singled with two outs in the top of the first, and advanced to second after...
Thomas Papadopoulos Plays Small Ball in Riverhead Tomcats’ 5-2 Victory
Thomas Papadopoulos did all the little things for the @RHTomcats in a 5-2 victory over the @SagHbrWhalers; a sacrifice fly RBI, ground ball RBI, and sacrifice bunt. He talks with @SachChristopher about playing small ball in today’s style of play. pic.twitter.com/woF0xgiGkr — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 27, 2019 by Chris Sacchi In today’s style of play in Major League Baseball, with the number of home-runs reaching an all-time high, the concept of “small ball” (bunting, sacrificing outs for runs, moving runners over) has gotten lost in the shuffle. In a 5-2 victory for the Riverhead Tomcats over the Sag Harbor Whalers, outfielder Thomas Papadopoulos took it back to old times by using small ball to give his team the win. Papadopoulos (St. Johns) had a sacrifice fly RBI, a fie...
Joseph O’Connell’s Strong Relief Work Proves Crucial for Shelter Island
by Chris Sacchi The Shelter Island Bucks led for most of Monday’s game against Westhampton, and took down the Aviators by a 9-6 score. Jeff Long for Shelter Island and Westhampton’s Ryan Smith was the starting pitching match up, but both players did not make through the fourth inning. In a battle of the bullpens, Shelter Island came out on top, led by right-hander Joseph O’Connell. O’Connell entered with a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning, with two outs and runners on second and third. Long had given up a home run to Westhampton’s Sean O’Keefe as well as two singles in the inning, and Bucks manager Brian Daly was looking for a pitcher to end the rally and retain the lead with two outs O’Connell did not even need to throw a single pitch to end the rally, as he picked off a runner ...
North Fork Ospreys Defeat Riverhead, 6-4
The North Fork Ospreys picked up their fourth victory of the season last night as they defeated the Riverhead Tomcats 6-4 at home, at Jean Cochran Park, in Peconic, NY. Riverhead had previously defeated North Fork in the first two games of the season series. Adelphi’s Josh Rovner started the game on the mound for North Fork, giving up four runs, two earned, on seven hits, through five innings. Riverhead’s Rob Gallagher (UMass Lowell) popped up to shallow center on the first pitch of the game, and was retired off of a sliding, shoestring grab by North Fork’s Joe Tardiff of Cortland. Riverhead Right fielder Jason Coules of Fordham then clobbered a fastball over the right field wall to give the Tomcats their first lead of the game at 1-0. Rovner settled in and recorded two straight outs after...
Offensive Explosion in Double Header Between Southampton and LI Road Warriors
by Chris Sacchi The Southampton Breakers had just about done all they could to secure a victory in game one of a double header against the Long Island Road Warriors at Baseball Heaven on Thursday. Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Breakers led 12-1. Since double header games are seven innings each in the Hamptons League, the mercy rule of 10 runs comes into effect after 5 innings. So, Southampton was only three outs away from getting a mercy rule victory over the Road Warriors. The Breakers mounted that 11 run lead heading into the bottom of the sixth thanks to a powerful offensive showing. They struck for three runs in the top of the third from an RBI double off the bat of Johnny Hipsman, scoring Chris Wasson and Tony Zambito, and Hipsman later come around to score on a wild pi...
