Bucks open season with back-to-back wins

It was 3-0 in Sag Harbor’s favor by the fourth inning at the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s (HCBL) Shelter Island Bucks home opener.

Shelter Island first baseman David Swift (Bates College) stood at the plate with a runner on first. “I’ve been seeing the ball pretty well,” Swift told the Reporter in the dugout after the game. That he has, as he sent the second pitch of the at-bat well over the left-field Fiske Field fence to add two runs for the Bucks, bringing the deficit to just one run.

The Bucks returned to the Island just a short time ago, holding a number of practices and settling in before their first game on Friday, June 12, against the North Fork Ospreys.

Aside from the regular practice schedule, the team took part in a number of community-minded events during this year’s preseason. The team went to the Shelter Island Community Center and Legion Hall on Thursday, June 11, to meet many of the Island’s veterans. Aside from their visit, the team also had a surprise visit of its own down at Fiske Field that same day, as Father Peter DeSanctis stopped by the team’s practice to speak to the players ahead of their opener. 

In the game the following night, the team rallied for a 5-2 win against the Ospreys including a three-run homer from Swift, who also had a base hit and eventually scored the fifth run of the night.

The Bucks returned to Shelter Island the next day to host the Sag Harbor Whalers, earning a thrilling 5-3 victory before a packed house. Sag Harbor struck first, with a walk followed by a single to center field that brought the Whalers’ runner home. However, two strikeouts and a runner thrown out at first base ended the inning.

Brennan Shapiro (Babson College) was on the mound for Shelter Island and had an impressive showing. Shapiro pitched six innings, allowing just five hits, three runs and two walks while recording five strikeouts. This is the right-handed pitcher’s second season with the Bucks. While Shapiro admitted he had some nerves going into the home opener, it was “mostly excitement,” he said. “Just happy to be at home, back in front of these fans and this community,” he added.

On the success of his outing, Shapiro said it was his teammates who deserved the most credit. “The boys were backing me up on defense and with the bats today. It was awesome,” he said.

Adding to Sag Harbor’s lead in the top of the fourth inning, three base hits from the Whalers brought home two more runs before two routine grounders and a flyout ended the frame, making it 3-0 Whalers. Once Swift sent one over the left-field fence, Shelter Island’s offense began to find its momentum.

In the bottom of the fifth, Bucks designated hitter George Proffitt (St. Lawrence University) found a gap in center field to drop one in and bring Swift home to score the tying run. In the bottom of the sixth, Pearson Dodds (St. Lawrence University) and Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac University) both scored unearned runs following a passed ball, extending the Bucks’ lead to 5-3.

Closing out the game for Shelter Island was Sam Lowenstein (Colby College), who faced just four batters and finished it with two flyouts and a routine grounder in the infield to secure the Bucks’ victory.

“The boys played great, and it was a great team effort,” said Andy Concepcion, the Bucks’ new head coach. Coach Concepcion credited the “timely hitting,” as well as the strong showing from the bullpen. “Brennan Shapiro gave us six strong innings, and Sammy Lowenstein came in and shut the door,” he said.

As for his first impressions, they are all good so far. With the victory, the Bucks lead the HCBL with a 2-0 record, as the only team to win its first two games. And as for the community, Shelter Island seems like a good fit. “I love the atmosphere. They basically treat us like family around here, and it’s just a pretty awesome feeling,” Coach Concepcion said.

The team was set to face the Sag Harbor Whalers on Tuesday, June 16, at Fiske Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.