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Island baseball boys come back against Port Jefferson

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Billy Boeklen taking a rip against Port Jefferson April 1 at Fiske Field.
BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Billy Boeklen taking a rip against Port Jefferson April 1 at Fiske Field.

At a foggy Fiske Field on Friday afternoon, April 1, the Shelter Island School junior varsity baseball team hosted the Port Jefferson Royals, a team they had already played and defeated twice that week.

The April 1 game was no different. The Indians beat the Royals by a score of 9-5. Both teams played well, One of the reasons the Indians remained undefeated for the week was their strong battery.

The game started with Jack Kimmelmann on the mound and Erik Thilberg behind the plate. The Royals scored once in the first inning but the Indians’ leadoff man, Liam Adipietro quickly scored in the home half of the inning, followed by Billy Boeklen, Erik Thilberg and Richard Ruscica crossing the plate.

The Royals started the second inning strongly and finished with 5 runs scored. It could have been worse for the home team, but Adipietro made a fine catch to end the bleeding. Shelter Island came back with 2 runs in the second inning, scored by Henry Lang and Kal Lewis.

The Indians made a pitching change with Richard Ruscica taking the mound and quickly shutting down the visitors. Then Shelter Island’s offense kicked in, with Adipietro stroking a double, Thilberg was hit by a pitch and stole second and both players eventually came around to score. Will Garrison and Lang also came home.

The game was called on account of darkness at the beginning of the fifth inning with the final score of 9-5 in favor of the Indians.

Even though the weather wasn’t the best for baseball, it was an exciting matchup with the crowd enjoying a well-played game.

Next up for the JV boys is an away game against Southold on April 12, followed by a home game against Southold April 14.