by Anthony DiCocco
James Alonso strikes out all three batters he faces in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the save and a 2-0 Chiefs win. pic.twitter.com/0AOHG5gKEi
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 7, 2026
After being spotted two runs before even throwing a pitch, Jack Mulligan turned in a masterful start to help the Massapequa Chiefs claim another Conference AAA-1 series win.
A leadoff single on the 11th pitch of the at-bat may have started Mulligan’s outing at Oceanside High School on a sour note, but it certainly did not foreshadow what was to come for the rest of Thursday evening. The right-hander immediately brushed off the marathon battle to cruise through six shutout innings, preserving a 2-0, Massapequa lead — which it built in the first inning — as the Chiefs clinched a series win over the Oceanside Sailors.
Chris Sultana picks up a run batted in by legging out a two-out, infield single with a runner at third base to make it 2-0 Massapequa. pic.twitter.com/gTXRht5wTn
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 7, 2026
Following Mike Scotto’s leadoff single, Mulligan retired 14 straight batters, before Ryan Pender broke the streak with a two-out single in the fifth inning. Mulligan’s efficiency paid dividends in terms of saving bullets, as the sophomore finished the day with eight strikeouts — including five of his final six outs — while also getting Oceanside to roll into nine groundouts.
Massapequa sent Mulligan to the mound to try to complete his shutout bid in the seventh inning, but a leadoff walk prevented him from going the distance. Nevertheless, James Alonso quickly closed the door on Oceanside to earn the save, catching a pair of Sailors looking, before whiffing the final batter he faced.
With Mulligan twirling a gem and Alonso’s dominance at the back of the bullpen, the Chiefs’ two first-inning runs were all they needed to put the Sailors away.
After Matt Vlahakis hit Anthony Carello in the foot with a pitch, Anthony DiNello fouled off for straight pitches to stay alive, before placing a double into right-center field. Xavier Micheli, who replaced Carello due to injury, ran on the 3-2 pitch, allowing him to easily score from first base.
DiNello moved up to third base during the ensuing at-bat on a flyout, setting the stage for Chris Sultana to plate him. Though Vlahakis induced soft contact to potentially escape the first inning without allowing another run, a high chopper off Sultana’s bat gave him enough time to beat the shortstop’s throw to first base for a run-scoring, infield single.
Aside from surrendering two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman in the opening frame, Vlahakis pitched well in defeat. The right-hander racked up six punch outs throughout the day and settled in nicely after a rocky start, coughing up just two knocks over four scoreless frames to end his outing.
Jack Paul and Chase Vargas combined to throw two shutout innings in relief for Oceanside.
DiNello and Sultana each went 2-for-3 with a run batted in, with DiNello also scoring a run after doubling. Caiden Erker drew a walk and recorded a base hit.
The victory pushed the Chiefs’ record to 13-3-1 overall and 12-2-1 in conference play. On the other side, the Sailors fell to 3-10-2 in both areas.
Massapequa will now begin a three-game series with Syosset starting at home on Monday at 5 p.m. Oceanside will head to Garden City for a nonconference matchup with the Trojans at 10 a.m. on Saturday.