Blue Waves keep baseball playoff drive alive with walk-off win
Just making the playoffs was a major step forward for the Riverhead baseball program, according to third-year head coach Kervin Kerman. What was going to happen after that was up to the baseball gods.
“We haven’t been here before,” Kerman said. “This is all new to us. Not new to us as a coaching staff because we all come in with tremendous playoff experience from different parts of our lives, but it’s new to Riverhead.”
The Blue Waves clinched the playoffs for the first time in 10 years in the final game of the season. The last time they notched a win in a playoff game was more than 20 years ago in 2004. In the postseason’s current double-elimination format, this year presented a good a shot as any to get over that hurdle.
That didn’t happen in the first game against No. 5 Sachem East as the Blue Waves lost on Tuesday, 11-4. It was a learning experience — a chance to grow and get a taste of the playoff atmosphere. But going into the loser’s bracket and getting another chance to notch a win did them justice.
“I know we were nervous in the first game,” Kerman said. “It’s expected. We’re young and our older guys haven’t been here either. It’s normal, but going into Game 2 I told them that we have the experience now. This isn’t our first game anymore. Let’s go play some baseball.”
Kerman elected to save sophomore righthander Matt Zambriski for the second game of the postseason as he just came off a 7-inning shutout to send Riverhead into the playoffs. That strategy also made it more likely the Blue Waves would match up their ace against another team’s number two hurler. They drew No. 13 Newfield in the second game and with the better seed at No. 12, Riverhead earned home field advantage and hosted Wednesday at Pulaski Street Sports Complex.
Zeros ruled the scoreboard for much of the cold, late May afternoon that required sweatshirts and blankets to stay warm. Zambriski and Newfield’s Anthony Ricchetti were butting heads in a pitcher’s duel and neither team managed to score through six innings. Riverhead loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with no outs but could not yield a run as Ricchetti came up with two clutch strikeouts.
“It definitely got us down a little bit not scoring there,” Zambriski said. “But we knew the game wasn’t over. We were going to fight until the end. This team never gives up.”
After a runner reached on an error in the top of the 7th inning, Zambriski notched the next two outs before allowing only his third hit of the day, a blooper that just eclipsed the infield and plated Newfield’s first and only run of the day.
“It was a great pitch by Zam,” Kerman said. “He got jammed on that pitch too. He just happened to get enough on it to score the run. Credit to the kid at the plate.”
Newfield went into the bottom of the 7th with spirits high – the taste of victory on the tip of their tongues. Meanwhile, Kerman was hyping up his team in the dugout.
“We’ve been here before,” he exclaimed. “This isn’t new to us. We have come back before and we’re going to do it again. Just believe.”
JJ Perez got the inning started with a single up the middle. He proceeded to almost get picked off at first base and ended up at second after another pickoff throw ended up at the fence line behind first base. Then freshman second basemen, Jason Davis – who averaged .443 at the plate this season — stepped into the box, tasked with laying down a sacrifice bunt. He pulled it off so well it wound up in no man’s land and he legged it out for a single. After a Camden Wallace out that moved Davis over to second, Brady Hubbard stepped up to the plate with a chance to win the game.
“This is a moment I always dreamed about,” Hubbard said. “Being in a spot to win my team the game. I’ve replayed this moment over and over, and to have this chance in my senior season means the world.”
“To be honest I was thinking about doing a safety squeeze bunt at first,” Kerman said laughing. “But honestly senior Brady Hubbard deserved a chance to win this game. He’s been clutch all year round. I decided to let him swing the bat.”
A few pitches in, Hubbard smoked a line drive over the third baseman’s head and plated both runners to secure Riverhead’s first playoff win in two decades.
“I just wanted to get something into the outfield,” Hubbard said. “But I was kinda nervous up there knowing this could be the last at bat for Riverhead. I blocked out any doubts and believed that I was made for this. Happy I could get it done for the boys.”
With the 2-1 win, Riverhead advances to the second round of the Suffolk County Class AAA loser’s bracket against No. 11 William Floyd. The game was scheduled for Thursday but with the rain all day was rescheduled for Friday on the road against No. 11 seed William Floyd.
“This is the most fun I’ve had playing with a baseball team,” Zambriski said. “We’ve been through so much as a team. So many ups and downs. We’ve grown into a brotherhood and I’m excited about what the baseball gods have in store for us next.”
