Sports

Bucks' home opener ends in tie after 10 innings

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Sign him up. Shelter Island Superintendent Michael Hynes throwing out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday at the Buck’s home opener on a perfect evening for baseball.

In the tenth inning of their home opener at Fiske Field against the Riverhead Tomcats, it looked like the Shelter Island Bucks were about to lose a game they almost had won.

With a man on second in the top of the extra inning, Tomcats’ left fielder Tyler Fox hit a ball deep to right field. It looked like it was ticketed for out of the park when Bucks’ right fielder Kevin Brantley of Hofstra University made a spectacular catch, saving at least one run and, as it turned out, the game. Brantley’s sparkling play allowed the Bucks to escape the inning unscathed. It also gave the hometown team a chance to continue the game another day after the umpires called it for lack of light.

After the game, Brantley himself admitted he thought the ball was a home run. “I first thought it was gone but I just sprinted towards the wall,” he said. “I looked up and made a quick movement with the glove so it just fell in there and I was happy we got to save that tie.”

The game marked the first home game of the season for the Bucks on a beautiful evening on Shelter Island. Game time temperature was 78 degrees and a nice crowd turned out. Shelter Island School Superintendent Dr. Michael Hines threw out a ceremonial first pitch, tossing a perfect strike, getting the season underway with style.

Coach Johnny Hernandez thought the atmosphere was perfect for the home opener. “I thought the crowd was good,” he said. “A lot of Bucks fans today, which was cool.”

The host team was sent into extra innings despite having a 3-2 lead entering the top of the ninth. Reliever Trevor Simms of Weatherford College came on to pitch both the eighth and ninth with the Bucks clinging to the small lead. He pitched a perfect eighth inning before Tomcats’ right fielder Jerry Downs brought home the tying run with an infield ground out.

The whole game was a back and forth battle with the Bucks taking the lead three times and the Tomcats coming back to knot it up all three times.

Coach Johnny Hernandez said his team could have played better at some points. “We played OK,” he said. “I thought we were a little dead in the middle innings. That’s where you usually have to win the game, in those innings. We were a little flat today.”

When asked if his team could have done anything differently to improve their middle innings, nothing came to mind for Hernandez, “They were just down today,” he said.

Despite struggling in the middle of the game, the Bucks did ultimately play through it without much damage. The team will get a chance to win this game on Tuesday, June 11, prior to another game at home against Riverhead.

Outfielder Brantley was confident the Bucks would prevail no matter when the game was finished. “I’m happy that we didn’t give up the game,” he said. “We’re still going to come back and beat them if we get a chance to play them tomorrow or whenever.”