Bucks in 3rd place in Collegiate League, playing with a will to win in early going

The Shelter Island Bucks began four straight home games on June 23 with a 13-10 loss to the Riverhead Tomcats. The Bucks took an early 1-0 lead thanks to designated hitter Blake Salamon (Northwood U) capitalizing on an error from the Tomcats.

But the Tomcats bounced back with a 3-run second inning and 5-run third that put the Bucks in an 8-1 hole. However, if a wild game against the Tomcats previously that resulted in a tie revealed anything, it’s that the Bucks do not give away anything for free.

Two doubles from Blake Salamon (Northwood U) and Ryan Vogel (Bradley U) in the bottom of the 3rd chipped away at the deficit, making it 8-2 Tomcats. The Bucks capitalized with a run from right fielder Billy Sullivan (Southern Connecticut St U) but missed an opportunity to have a comeback inning due to a few pop flies that the Tomcats handled with ease.

The 7th inning saw a competitive 3-3 split between the teams, making the score 11-6 Tomcats. As usual with the Bucks, the 8th and 9th innings were nail biters, with erratic pitching by both sides. For the Bucks, Salamon and Vogel continued their solid hitting, scoring runs in the 8th, but the Tomcats came back with two more.

In the 9th, the Bucks were unable to complete the comeback despite scoring two more runs, finalizing the score as 13-10 Tomcats.

In the next game, the Shelter Island Bucks were out for revenge against the Westhampton Aviators, who led the head-to-head series 2-1-1. The Bucks were granted their wish with a convincing 6-1 win that saw excellent pitching from ace Marco Siracusa (Pace U) who had an ERA of 3.31 in 5.2 innings pitched. The Bucks’ lineup fed off Siracusa’s pitching with a run in the 1st inning, two runs in the 4th, a run in the 7th inning, and two runs in the 8th inning.

A defensive lockdown kept the pressure off the offense, and only gave up 1 run. The Bucks have now tied the head-to-head, and look forward to taking the lead in the next Aviator matchup, a doubleheader on Sunday, July 3.

The Islanders then faced the Sag Harbor Whalers in a doubleheader, which didn’t go the Bucks’ way. Game one ended in a Sag Harbor 10-5 win, closing the show with a two strong final innings.

The nightcap was an absolute lock down defensively from both teams. The Whalers took a 2-0 lead, but that was it. Whalers’ pitcher Vincent Corso (Richmond) had a solid game, pitching 6 shut out innings and ending with an ERA of 2.25.

Overall, the Bucks didn’t have the best game day but still stand in 3rd place, looking to overtake the Southhampton Breakers one notch above them in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball league standing.

The team will be enjoying some home cooking for the holiday weekend. Friday, July 1, they take on the Ospreys at Fiske Field at 5 p.m., and then host Westhampton for a double header on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

On Tuesday, July 5, the Clippers come to town for a 5 p.m. start.

Bring your friends and family down for great hardball by talented young athletes at beautiful Fiske Field.