Roller coaster week leaves Bucks tied for first place

The Shelter Island Bucks kicked off a weekend of baseball last Thursday night in Riverhead against the Tomcats that would lead to five games in just four days. At the end of the week the Island’s team was in a tie for  first in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League.

But they came into the week with a swagger in their steps, not only by playing solid baseball but also opening eyes on the national scene.
“Perfect Game,” a prominent scouting service, released its first ranking of summer league teams this past week featuring the top 30 teams across the country. The Bucks were ranked 27th on the list and were the only East End team to make the cut.

The team started their busy stretch on a positive note, beating the Tomcats, 5-3. Starting pitcher Mike Wallace of Fairfield University went seven innings allowing only three runs before relievers Ian Tresser, also of Fairfield, and Matt Horton of Cornell University pitched perfect innings in relief to secure the win. Justin Jones of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Mac James of the University of Oklahoma and Jesse Lee of the University of Rhode Island all contributed to the offense with two hits apiece.

According to Wallace, the win was a team effort. “I don’t think I had my best stuff but I was able to make it through,” he said. “The defense behind me made every play. It’s easy for a pitcher when you have the defense making plays. You have to throw strikes and let them hit it and let your defenders make a play.”

The win Thursday night kept the Bucks all alone in first place in the HCBL. Friday night at Fiske Field the squad went up against the second place Center Moriches Battlecats, who trailed by just percentage points.

On the first official day of summer, Fiske Field was electric for a night game that would decide first place in the HCBL. For the first time the new scoreboard was in place out in center field and just in time for one of the largest crowds of the season.

The Bucks jumped out to an early lead in the battle for first place after Connor Wilson of Missouri State University hit an RBI double in the second scoring James. Wilson then scored later in the inning on an overthrown ball to third.

The Bucks kept the lead until the top of the ninth when the Battlecats scored two runs to put them up 3-2. In the bottom of the ninth, the Bucks fought back with James scoring on a passed ball after he reached base with a single. However, the Battlecats got right back on top in the tenth and won, 5-3, putting Center Moriches in first place.

After the game, Bucks’ manager Johnny Hernandez was disappointed with his team. “We didn’t play very well,” Hernandez said, noting that the Battlecats had scored four unearned runs.

Following the loss Friday night, the Bucks headed to Westhampton on Saturday for a doubleheader against the Aviators. The Bucks dropped both ends by scores of 3-2. In both games, the Bucks were either leading or tied heading into the later innings but couldn’t hold on to win.

Back home the Bucks hosted the North Fork Ospreys on Sunday night, looking to halt a three game losing streak and get some momentum back. They did just that in a 6-5 win powered by a five run second inning.

Both Kevin Brantley of Hofstra University and Joe Burns of St. John’s University had two RBI’s to contribute to the win.
The win moved the Island boys into a three way tie for first in the HCBL with the Tomcats and Battlecats. “I thought it was a great win for us,” Coach Hernandez said. “We lost three games, three straight, so it was huge for us. This team, they’re a bunch of grinders.”

When asked which players stood out in the win, he replied, “Everyone. Today was a team effort. We used six pitchers. We bunted, we ran a couple hit and runs, and it worked out today.”

The baseball gods were good to the Bucks but Mother Nature also helped out. During a season in which they’ve had numerous games postponed due to bad weather, the Bucks made it through five games over four days with no meteorological issues.

For once, the Bucks played four days of baseball in beautiful summer weather.