Bucks to play in championship game today

The Shelter Island Bucks will face the Southampton Breakers in the first game of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League championship today, Sunday, July 28, at four o’clock at Fiske Field.

The Bucks haven’t won a HBCL championship since 2015, but have treated the fans to an exciting season so far, with a roller coaster experience in the last week.This past Tuesday, the Bucks lost to the Sag Harbor Whalers at Fiske Field. Despite the rain, fans filled the stands to support the Bucks. Multiple base hits and a home run from Whaler Lucas Pierce (Rhode Island) allowed Sag Harbor to take an early lead, 2-0. The Bucks responded with three base hits but only scored one run. Shelter Island’s defense shut out Sag Harbor in the top of the second, and secured one run in the bottom of the second, tying the game 2-2. In the top of the third, Sag Harbor secured another run after two crushed balls into the outfield. Shelter Island responded with a run scored after a single and two sacrifice flyouts ended the inning. In the top of the fifth, Sag Harbor placed multiple baserunners on. Then, a routine grounder to Shelter Island’s pitcher led to a thrown-away ball after the pitcher slipped on the wet grass, securing two more runs for the Whalers. Lastly, a stolen base from the Whalers left Sag Harbor with another run scored. The Bucks were unable to score in the bottom of the fifth, leaving the Whalers leading 6-3, after five innings of play. In the bottom of the seventh, a base hit from Buck Briggs Loveland (Emerson) and an error from Sag Harbor’s infield left Loveland safe at first. Then, Buck AJ Cook (Elms) walked, and Buck Ryan Leclair (Stonehill) put a ball in play to secure first base and load the bases. Buck Ty Bourne (Emerson) hit a base hit, sacrificing an out but scoring the first run for the Bucks in three innings. However, three flyouts from Shelter Island left the Sag Harbor Whalers with a 6-4 victory. After the game, Coach Vern Hasty said, “After the thrown-away ball, that was the beginning of the end for us this game. But going into the playoffs, we’re going to put our best lineup out there, and hope for the best.”

Beginning on Thursday, the Bucks faced the North Fork Ospreys in the best-of-three HCBL semi-finals at Cochran Park, home of the Ospreys. The Ospreys finished the season with a record of 20-15-1 while Shelter Island finished with a record of 20-16. As a result of their records, North Fork was given a home-field advantage for the first and third games.

Game one started with aggressive defensive efforts from both teams. The score remained 0-0 after the first inning. In the top of the second inning, Buck Briggs Loveland (Emerson) crushed a ball into right field, securing second base and two runs. With Shelter Island in the lead, the Ospreys shut out the Bucks offense in the top of the third, and a single from Jackson Ciccone (Hartford) secured the first run for North Fork. The Ospreys defense remained strong, stopping the Bucks from scoring any runs in the top of the fourth. Then, Osprey Cam Dunn (New York) hit a home run to tie the score two to two. Three walks loaded the bases, and a base hit from Jackson Ciccone (Hartford) with an error from Shelter Island’s defense, scored two unearned runs. After four innings of play, the North Fork Ospreys led 4-2. The Bucks and Ospreys went back and forth in the fifth and sixth innings, each scoring one run per inning. The Ospreys continued to lead, now 6-4 after six innings. In the top of the seventh, Buck Ryan Leclair (Stonehill) hit a ball into left field, scoring one more run. Then, Shelter Island’s defense shut out North Fork, leaving the score at 6-5 in North Fork’s favor. As Shelter Island trailed by only one run, the lead was within reach. In the top of the eighth, the Bucks took back the lead with a three-run rally. Shelter Island’s defense remained strong, only facing three batters. In the top of the ninth, two walks put two Shelter Island baserunners on. A balk from North Fork’s pitcher placed the runners at second and third, and Buck Tyler Galletti (Manhattan) hit a ball into center field, extending Shelter Island’s offensive rally to 5 runs. Following this, North Fork quickly got three outs, and the Bucks continued their lead, now 9-5. In the bottom of the ninth, North Fork immediately put two runners on after a base hit and a walk. However, a putout and a strikeout left the Ospreys with only one out left. Shelter Island’s defense decided to substitute their pitcher for Noah Terzo (Lesley). Terzo let up a base hit from the Ospreys, allowing Osprey Leighton Helfrick (California Davis) to score one run, leaving the score at nine to six. However, Terzo responded with a strikeout, to end the game with a Shelter Island Bucks victory, 9-6. Afterward, Coach Vern Hasty said, “It was an outstanding win. It was back and forth the whole game, and we let them score four unearned runs because of errors, but we just kept hitting the ball. I just had that feeling, and finally, we broke through and the game was over.”

Following the big win the night before, Shelter Island came out fired up in game two of the HCBL semi-finals Friday. In the first play of the game, Buck Briggs Loveland (Emerson) made a diving catch after the Ospreys put a grounder up the middle of the infield. Loveland flipped the ball to first base, securing the first out.  Osprey Joseph Dwyer (SUNY Oneonta) scored four runs for the Ospreys, following a couple of wild pitches, a base hit, and an infield error. This left the Ospreys only trailing by 4 runs after four innings of play. Shelter Island’s defense responded by stopping North Fork from scoring in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. In the top of the eighth, the Ospreys loaded the bases, and a base hit moved the runners around one base each, scoring one run. A routine putout led to an error, allowing the Ospreys to score an unearned run. After this, Shelter Island substituted their pitcher for Logan Detty (Capital). However, a well-placed grounder from Osprey Rocco Cimino (Pace) scored two more runs. But two routine putouts ended the inning, with the score now tied at 8-8. With both teams remaining strong in their defensive efforts, no one scored in the ninth inning. Normally, the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League ends games after seven innings of play, regardless of the score. Given that this was a post-season game, teams not only played nine innings but also played extra innings if necessary. Two putouts and a strikeout allowed Shelter Island’s defense to only face three batters in the top of the tenth. On the offensive end, the Bucks got two baserunners on after base hits, but two putouts and a picked-off runner left the score still tied at 8-8. In the top of the eleventh inning, the Ospreys put two baserunners on but were unable to score. Shelter Island put two runners on as well, but a flyout, strikeout, and groundout left Shelter Island still unable to score. In the twelfth inning, once again, both teams put runners on, but neither team was able to score. In the top of the thirteenth inning, North Fork began to put runs on the board. Osprey Anthony Equale (Washington) crushed a ball just short of the right field fence, which was ruled as a ground-rule double. Then, Osprey Leighton Helfrick (California Davis) hit a two-run home run. However, two flyouts and a strikeout left the Ospreys leading 10-8. In the bottom of the thirteenth inning, Buck Tyler Galletti (Manhattan) and Buck Aidan Paradine (Siena) were both hit by pitches, leaving two baserunners on. Then, Buck Ryan Leclair (Stonehill) hit a single, loading the bases. Following a balk from North Fork’s pitcher, Galletti scored a run, leaving the score at 10-9 in the Ospreys’ favor. Following this, the Ospreys decided to intentionally walk Buck Julian Abreu (Marist), loading the bases again. Buck Ty Bourne (Emerson) walked, moving the baserunners around and scoring a second run, tying the game 10-10. Then, Buck AJ Cook (Elms) hit a ball in play, securing a single and allowing Leclair to score the winning run. It truly was a fairytale ending, as Shelter Island’s bench cleared, all of the players ran out to first base, and they poured their water cooler on Cook. Following the game, Coach Vern Hasty said, “I can’t be proud enough of our guys. We gave up that home run, but I promise you, it’s never over for the Bucks until the last out is recorded.”