Bucks win six straight with victory over Ospreys

After a string of losses, the Shelter Island Bucks recorded six straight wins in the third week of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League (HCBL) season.

The Island team secured its sixth straight win over the North Fork Ospreys, making it the only team in the HCBL to win six consecutive games during the 2026 season.

“Our guys are starting to buy in now,” said Andy Concepcion, the team’s head coach, following the July 3 win over the Ospreys. The Bucks defeated the North Fork team 9-4 in a special 10 a.m. contest, moved earlier into the morning due to the heat wave that torched the Island over the holiday weekend. But the early start didn’t make for a slim turnout, as Fiske Field was packed with fans from both teams. Not only was the crowd into the game, but so were the players, as both teams chirped at one another from their respective dugouts.

“I think when you have a winning streak, everybody is having a good time, and our guys are laughing and having fun,” Concepcion shared.

While the dugout was definitely loud on Friday, that isn’t what sealed the deal for the Bucks. A strong offensive showing with an array of base hits, matched with a standout performance from Ryan McCausland (St. Lawrence University) on the mound, led the team to victory.

“I love to have teammates that have my back and just give you extra energy and adrenaline while I’m on the mound,” McCausland told the Reporter in response to the energy from the dugout Friday morning.

McCausland pitched six innings before being relieved by Xavier Hall (Emerson College) in the seventh frame. He gave up just two runs while his teammates plated nine. “My main goal was just throwing strikes and filling up the zone,” McCausland explained. “My fastball was really working the outside corners, and I got a lot of contact off the end of the bat for some easy ground balls. So it really worked well today,” he said.

On the offensive side, Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac University) scored the first run for the Bucks after a dropped ball in the Ospreys’ outfield allowed him to take off from third and score. But it wasn’t just one run for the Bucks in the first inning, as Lucas Ametrano (Holy Cross), Cayden Van Dolah (Holy Cross), and Connor McGill (Point Loma University) all plated one run each to give the Bucks an early 4-0 lead.

The Ospreys remained scoreless as Shelter Island continued to find success offensively. Three runs in the second and two more in the third stretched the lead to a commanding 9-0 before North Fork plated its first run in the top of the fourth. The Ospreys rallied for one run in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, and two more in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Bucks, who ultimately won the game 9-4, marking their sixth straight victory.

“I feel like these guys are starting to play their best, are getting comfortable, and are settling into the Island,” the coach shared. “Obviously the last couple of games, it’s shown what we can do when we’re patient at the plate,” he said.

The team narrowly dropped a July 4 contest to the Sag Harbor Whalers, 8-4, on the road before recording yet another win the following day against the Southampton Breakers, 4-1. The string of wins, following a string of losses in the second week of the HCBL season, brings the team’s record to 10-11 and fourth overall in the HCBL standings.

The team will play at home on Thursday, July 9, and Friday, July 10, at Fiske Field. Both contests are scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch.