by Trevor Diamond
Ralph Betner is the Gamechanger player of the game for his gutsy save which was his 6th on the season. Bennett closed out the game to secure the undefeated season and to help Eastport-South Manor secure the regular season league title.
Final
Hauppauge-4
Eastport-South Manor- 7 pic.twitter.com/tLnGJqfggz— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2025
Eastport-South Manor has developed an aura surrounding them this season. They stand out as the team out east that has a really cool stadium, plays night games and wins every game.
They continued their undefeated start to the season with a 7-4 win over the reigning Class AA Long Island Champion Hauppauge Eagles. They conclude league play with a record of 18-0.
It was a hectic start to a big game for the Eastport-South Manor Sharks as the Hauppauge Eagles started the game with bases loaded, and Roman Dixon delivered for the Eagles with a two-run single.
ESM threatened in the bottom of the first with bases loaded but ultimately came out with no runs, as the Eagles maintained their 2-0 lead after an inning of play. In the top of the second, the Eagles would come out of the gates hot again, as Tucker Brown hit a line drive single, and Michael Oliveto (Yale Commit) followed that with a double off the wall. It would once again be Dixon with an RBI as he grounded out giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the second.
As it always the case with ESM, they find a way to respond. They did so in a big way, putting up a six-spot in the home half of the second.
A bases clearing triple for Mason Gatchalian puts ESM up 5-3. Logan Walsh would follow with an RBI single.
After 2-
Hauppauge: 3
ESM: 6 pic.twitter.com/9fFRBpIWkc— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 16, 2025
A couple of singles in the bottom of the second from Memphis Lanier, Connor Minihane, and Brady McGowan (Marist Commit) set up Bennett Smith for a bases loaded chance. Smith would hit an RBI single, and Joey Gargiulo would follow with a hit by pitch to get a run home. Sophomore Mason Gatchalian would come up with bases loaded and rip a triple, clearing the bases and giving the Sharks a 5-2 lead. Logan Walsh would follow with an RBI single giving the Sharks a 6-3 lead after 2 innings.
Tucker Brown relieved Nick Poulos for the Eagles in the third, and Brown struck out seven over three innings of work. The third, and fourth were scoreless for both sides.
ESM would strike again in the bottom of the 5th starting with a single from Joey Gubitosi, and then Nick Lawrence would record an RBI on an error to score Gubitosi, making it 7-3 after five innings.
ESM had a four run lead over Hauppauge going into the top of the seventh, but it would not be an easy inning for the Sharks to continue their undefeated season. Freshman Gabe Sikora held Hauppauge scoreless in relief for two innings but would get into a bases loaded jam where ESM would go to the senior Ralph Betner who had five saves coming into this outing. Betner would surrender one of Sikora’s runners on an Ian Rivera RBI via a fielder’s choice making the score 7-4. Betner would then strikeout, and induce a ground ball to second base securing the victory and finishing league play with a record of 20-0 as they enter the playoffs.
