Bucks drop heart breaker to Westhampton — game out of first
Hall of Famer Yogi Berra popularized the phrase, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.”
The Shelter Island Bucks were cruelly reminded of this on Wednesday night when, with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning, they blew a 1-0 lead over the visiting Westhampton Aviators en route to a 2-1 extra-innings defeat.
Closer Merritt Huber of Wofford College allowed a single to Westhampton’s Mark Osis at the start of the ninth. After the next two Aviators were retired, Luke Leonardi worked Huber to a full count before hitting a line drive to center field, driving in Osis for the game-tying run.
A home run over the left-field wall in the tenth by Jamie Galazin sent the Bucks to their third loss in four games, dropping their record to 7-6 and a single game out of first place in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League.
Reigning offensive player of the week Eddie Haus gave Shelter Island an early lead in the bottom of first inning. His 11th RBI of the season plated second baseman Chris Hess, but the Bucks would fail to capitalize on any offensive threats over the following nine innings.
“Even when their pitcher is dealing like that, we have to scratch more than one run,” said Head Coach Jamie Quinn following the loss. “We need to do a better job on the situational hitting side. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times.”
The home team advanced runners into scoring position with no outs on two occasions, including in the bottom of the tenth inning but were repeatedly baffled by Westhampton pitching. Starter William White allowed five hits in seven innings, and the Aviator bullpen successfully neutralized the league-leading Shelter Island offense.
Bucks pitcher Kevin Tise opened the game with six scoreless innings, and was one of the few bright spots during an otherwise disheartening game at Fiske Field. He struck out six batters while allowing just five hits. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Aviators advanced a runner past second base.
“I started to get in front of them in the first few innings, it all seemed to be working” said Tise, who got a no-decision in his first start of the season. “My defense did really well, especially [catcher] Chris Tracz.”
A rising sophomore at Marist College, Tracz gunned down three runners attempting to steal second base. He ranks second amongst all catchers in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League with 10 assists, despite having played in only half of Shelter Island’s games.
The Bucks nearly mounted a remarkable comeback in the bottom of the tenth inning, when Dom Brugnoni reached second base on a throwing error with no outs. Coach Quinn spent the inning vigorously coaching his team from third base, but his effort was to no avail. Jonathan Moroney flew out to left field before the final two Bucks struck out swinging.
“The ball just didn’t break our way on that hit in the ninth,” said Coach Quinn. “It’s frustrating, it really is, but we’ll have to get over it and be better on Friday.”
In the interim, the team traveled to Southampton on Thursday for the Hampton League’s annual scout day. Recently active pitchers like Tise and reliever Spencer Bunting remained on the Island, but almost all other players made the short trip on the South Ferry to SUNY Southampton for the 9 a.m. workout session. Scouts from the Mets, Yankees, and three other professional organizations were in attendance.
Shelter Island’s next home game is Tuesday, June 23 when the Bucks will face off against the Montauk Mustangs.
