by Tucker Terranova
Final: Wantagh 2, Seaford 3
Dylan Alt forces a decisive game three with a walk-off single! pic.twitter.com/6CD8fQaaTp
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 30, 2025
“Don’t doubt the Vikings.”
It’s a phrase Jordan Cassuto said has resonated with his Seaford squad all season.
Five times this postseason, the sixth-seeded Vikings have faced elimination — and five times, they’ve lived to play another day.
After dropping the first game of their three-game championship series to Wantagh, 6-1, Seaford once again found itself in a familiar spot: needing a win to keep its season alive. In a contest that stretched nine innings and nearly three hours, the Vikings outlasted Wantagh, 3-2, decided by a walk-off single from Dylan Alt.
Alt was the conductor of the Vikings’ come-from-behind win, either scoring or driving in all three of Seaford’s runs.
“I stuck to the same approach I’ve had all season,” Alt said after the win. “I had one other chance to drive in a run in the fifth and couldn’t execute. We definitely needed that one.”
His base hit to left field in the fourth inning not only marked Seaford’s first hit of the day but also set up their first run. Alt came around to score on an RBI double by Maritime-commit Luke Walsh, cutting the Wantagh lead to 2-1.
Dylan Alt discusses his approach that led to his walk-off hit, as well as what has helped Seaford win elimination games. pic.twitter.com/DBqvLOu3rT
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 30, 2025
He came up again in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out — Seaford’s season once more on the brink — and delivered a deep sac fly to center field to plate the tying run and force extras.
Then in the bottom of the ninth, after consecutive walks opened the inning, Alt came through again. This time, it was a line drive up the middle that scored Finn Curry, sending the Seaford bench pouring onto the field.
“To have a player like Dylan is so huge,” said Seaford starting pitcher Thomas Apollo. “Win or lose, he’s always doing something to impact the game and steps up when we need him to.”
Apollo knows a thing or two about stepping up as well. After tossing a complete-game gem in game two of Seaford’s semifinal series, the right-hander got the ball again with the season on the line and delivered.
“I was able to execute the low and outside fastball really well today,” said Apollo, who allowed two runs on four hits over six innings of work. “I figured if I could throw my fastball well at the bottom of the zone, they wouldn’t be able to touch it.”
Apollo settled in as the game went on, limiting Wantagh to just one hit after the third inning.
“Every time he takes the mound, we know he’s going to shut the opponent down,” said Alt. “His fastball is electric, and he gets the team going.”
Head coach Mike Milano turned to Cassuto in the seventh, and the senior southpaw delivered once again. He tossed three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win — his second clutch performance of the week after locking down the save in Seaford’s game three semi-final win over top-seeded Plainedge last Sunday.
“I’ve just been trusting my guys in the field,” Cassuto said. “I know they’re going to make plays behind me. All I have to do is throw strikes and bet on myself.”
The Warriors also received a solid outing from their starter, as Gavin Diegnan gave Wantagh 7.2 innings of quality work on 125 pitches. The Post-committed left-hander kept Seaford in check for most of the afternoon, striking out five and allowing just four hits and two runs.
Diegnan helped Wantagh strike first for the second straight game, doubling on the game’s first pitch before Cole Spinelli drove him in with an RBI single. In the third, Ryan Tullo — who’d been intentionally walked in his previous two at-bats dating back to Thursday — ripped an RBI double to extend the Warriors’ lead to 2-0.
Seaford and Wantagh will meet on Sunday to determine who will be crowned Nassau County’s Class A Champions.
For the Vikings, a victory would mark the second county title in program history, following their 2023 Class B crown. Meanwhile, Wantagh aims to return to the summit for the first time since its three-peat of Long Island Championships from 2016 to 2018.
“We feel very confident,” Alt said about the Vikings heading into the winner-take-all game three. “We’re going to get it done.”
