Mike Amendola noticed an interesting change in attitude in his Riverhead Tomcats. During the dog days of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League season, the coach said, his players looked forward to returning home after a long, grueling stretch of baseball. And then, a funny thing happened: the playoffs.
Suddenly, the Tomcats were in no hurry to go home.
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Aviator Field in Westhampton is known for being a hitter-friendly park. It might have been at its friendliest on Thursday.
It was good to be a hitter in Game 1 of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League semifinals between the Riverhead Tomcats and Westhampton Aviators. It was even better to be an Aviator.
A wild slugfest that saw the teams combine for 36 runs and 31 hits ended in Westhampton’s favor, 20-16. Chris Dutra led the hit parade for the defending champion Aviators, driving in five runs on 3-for-5 hitting that included a home run. A.J. Montoya also homered. Eric Callahan, Matt Hansen and Cam Climo provided three RBIs each. Joe Curcio scored four runs.
The Tomcats, who clinched their second straight playoff berth by sweeping the Aviators on Tuesday, were led by designated hitter Freddy Sabido, who had five RBIs with a homer. Brian Cox went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs scored.
All 19 batters who stepped to the plate had at least one hit. The only scoreless inning was the ninth.
It wasn’t a good day to be a pitcher, but Grant Young ended up with the win, allowing four runs (only one earned) and five hits over 2 1/3 innings. Richard Jackson III pitched two perfect innings for the save.
The Tomcats shot out to a 5-0 lead by the second inning, but Westhampton erased that with a six-run rally in the bottom half of the inning.
In the fifth, though, the Tomcats rang up nine runs for a 15-7 lead. They banged out eight hits in the inning.
Westhampton tied it in the sixth with an eight-run explosion of its own.
After the Tomcats pushed across a run in the seventh for a 16-15 edge, Westhampton replied with four runs in its half of the inning to take a 19-16 lead. Montoya led off by homering on a 3-2 pitch. Two batters later, Dutra connected on a two-run homer.
The Tomcats were charged with eight errors.
The best-of-three series will go to Calverton Friday for Game 2.
A win is better than a tie, and two wins, even more so.
Needing a tie from their regular-season-ending doubleheader in Westhampton Tuesday in order to qualify for the playoffs for a second straight year, the Riverhead Tomcats rose to the challenge in convincing fashion. READ
Nick Bottari is a man on the move. He has moved from school to school, from team to team, and this summer moved to the top of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League in batting average. READ
The critical plays didn’t go the Riverhead Tomcats’ way on a day they needed to win in order to play another day.
The Westhampton Aviators finished the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League regular season in first place for a reason. Just leave the door open a crack for the Aviators and they will burst through it.
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One may have started wondering if baseball’s dog days of summer had arrived in Riverhead. A little early for that, isn’t it? After all, it’s not even the middle of July yet.
The Riverhead Tomcats would agree.
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Jack Massa has the glove. Now he wants a bat to match.
Defense is a point of pride for Massa. As for hitting, well, that’s a work in progress, and part of the process involves a second straight season in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League with the Westhampton Aviators.
Former Shoreham-Wading River High School catcher Jack Massa is spending his summer with the Westhampton Aviators. (Credit: Daniel De Mato)
The players on the 2014 Shoreham-Wading River High School baseball team were a close bunch. “The closest team I’ve ever been a part of,” said catcher Jack Massa.
Massa said he still sees former Wildcats teammates and spends time with them when he is home from college. He even crosses paths with one of them, Tyler Osik, on the baseball diamond. (more…)