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Game of the Week Powered by Ken Kortright State Farm: Eastport-South Manor Sweeps Half Hollow Hills West to Improve to 14-1

by Trevor Dugan

It came a day later than expected, but Eastport-South Manor won a hard fought, 5-2 victory over Half Hollow Hills West Friday to earn a series sweep and improve to 14-1 on the season. 

The Suffolk League V rivals were rained out Thursday at Half Hollow Hills West in what would have been the third and final game of their series. Instead, they played a makeup game on the ESM turf Friday. Since Thursday would have been a home game for Hills West, they took the field first Friday and served as the home team, despite playing 45 minutes from their school’s campus in hostile territory. 

The Sharks struck for two runs in the top of the first inning, the first scoring on an RBI double by sophomore left fielder Nick Lawrence, who came around to score one batter later on an RBI single off the bat of starting pitcher Logan Walsh, pushing the ESM lead to 2-0. 

Walsh finished the game 2-4 with an RBI, and pitched four solid innings for ESM to earn the win on the mound. The Felician University commit received GameChanger player of the game honors for his efforts. 

“I don’t even think he had his best stuff today, but he battled,” ESM head coach Jim McGowan said of Walsh. “He’s a four year varsity player, he’s been to war with us so we trust him, and today he stepped up and got it done without his best stuff, which is a sign of a really good pitcher.” 

Over their three-game series this week the ESM pitching staff allowed just four runs, while their offense outscored Half Hollow Hills West 18-4. 

After surrendering a pair of runs in the top of the first, Hills West freshman starting pitcher Charlie Cascio settled in nicely and tossed four straight scoreless innings, keeping the ESM offense quiet. 

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Hills West finally got to Walsh and cut the ESM lead to one in the bottom of the fourth, when first baseman John Lange scored from third on a suicide squeeze laid down by outfielder Alejandro Rodriguez, bringing things to 2-1. 

Hills West looked poised to seize both the momentum and the lead after Cascio followed up their fruitful fourth inning with a shutdown top of the fifth, but ESM stopped the Colts in their tracks.

Brennan Morrison entered to pitch in relief of Walsh in the bottom of the fifth, and forced an inning ending double play with one out and runners on the corners to preserve ESM’s slim 2-1 cushion.

Then, in the top of the sixth, the Sharks gave Morrison some breathing room, adding two insurance runs on RBI singles by juniors Mason Gatchalian and Thomas Gargiulo to stretch their lead to 4-1.

Gargiulo, ESM’s three-hitter and an All-County player in 2025, finished his day 3-4 with an RBI and run scored. 

A loud and proud Italian, Gargiulo’s walk-up song is “Che La Luna Mezzo Mare”, an iconic Italian-American anthem ubiquitous throughout Long Island, which energizes the ESM crowd into clapping along each time Gargiulo strides to the plate. This is just one example of how engaged the ESM crowd typically is. The new and expanded seating area installed by ESM, which opened officially in 2024, is regularly filled to capacity with cheering fans. Coach McGowan considers this a unique advantage for his squad. 

“The facility is amazing, so I think people get excited to be here and play here, whether you’re the host like us or the away team,” McGowan said. “A lot of people come out, it gets loud, it echoes, and we feel a nice vibe playing here. We’ve had plenty of success here the last two years and it’s a great place to play for sure.” 

ESM added one more run to their lead in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by junior right fielder CJ Spatz. Hills West cut the lead to 5-2 when they scored on a balk in the bottom of the seventh, but the rally stopped there as Gatchalian relieved Morrison to get the final out and secure a series sweep for the Sharks. 

Reigning league champion Eastport-South Manor is now 32-1 in League V play since the start of 2025, an unprecedented run of success for the east end school that is so often overlooked in discussions of Long Island baseball powerhouses. 

Seemingly well on their way to a second consecutive league title, Friday’s player of the game Walsh believes this year’s ESM squad has what it takes to surpass the 2025 team. 

“I think we’ve really matured as a team,” Walsh said after the win. “We didn’t lose many guys, and I think we’re going to go even further this year.” 

“With 17 kids back from last year, they have that toughness gene,” coach McGowan added. “We’ve been down late in games this year, we had come-from-behind playoff wins last year, we’ve played so many big games, so I don’t think they’re fazed by anything. They can go far.”

Now 14-1, Eastport-South Manor has a bye this upcoming week, and returns to action at home Saturday, May 9, for a non-league matchup with Saint Anthony’s.

Half Hollow Hills West falls to 5-7 with the loss, and returns to play Tuesday, May 5, at Comsewogue High School.