by Trevor Dugan
Smithtown East rallies for three runs in the seventh, walking it off on this walk by Christian Gobbi to steal a playoff victory from Hills West!
FINAL: Smithtown East 4 – Hills West 3
Dylan Cogliano: 6.0 IP 3 H 1 R 6 K
Dom Suppa: 3-3, RBI
Mason Nasta: 1-4, RBI pic.twitter.com/oF3bhEKUQM— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 22, 2026
With their season on the line Friday, Smithtown East High School scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh, walking it off with a bases-loaded walk by Christian Gobbi to steal a 4-3 win from Half Hollow Hills West and advance in the Suffolk County AA Playoffs.
Senior second baseman Dom Suppa went 3-for-3, and tied the game for Smithtown East with an RBI single in the sixth inning, earning him GameChanger Player of the Game honors.
Much of Friday’s playoff matchup was a pitcher’s duel between Smithtown East senior Dylan Cogliano and Hills West freshman Charlie Cascio. The two hurlers both allowed at least one baserunner in each of the first four innings, but stranded them all to keep things scoreless.
Cascio recorded three outs via pickoff over the first four innings, including two in the first inning, erasing baserunners as quickly as they appeared.
After the fourth inning the game took a much different tenor, with the lead changing hands three times across the final three innings.
Hills West broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth when junior center fielder Christian Rivera led the inning off with a walk, then came around to score two batters later on an RBI infield single by senior left fielder Ryan Szypula.
An inning later, Smithtown East answered. Junior first baseman Sean Gaine drew a one out walk, then stole second base, before scoring on a clutch RBI single to left by Suppa, the second baseman’s third hit of the game.
Cogliano was replaced by junior Ryan Mitchell to begin the seventh inning, capping off a solid six inning performance. The Virginia Wesleyan-commit allowed just one run on three hits with six strikeouts, and stranded plenty of baserunners in the process.
“Dylan had an incredible season, every game he found a way to battle; he’s a kid that wants the ball, and he’s going to attack every hitter.” Smithtown East head coach Rob Christensen said of his starter. “He battles, he believes in himself, and that’s what we need in an elimination game.”
Hills West took the lead right back in the top of the seventh when Szypula struck again with his second RBI single of the day, once again scoring Rivera from second base. A second run came across in the inning when senior first baseman Johnny Lange scored sophomore second baseman Tyler D’Amico from third with a sacrifice fly to deep right field, putting Hills West up 3-1.
Szypula strikes again! His second RBI single of the game puts Hills West on top in the seventh!
Last chance coming up for Smithtown East to keep their season alive!
Hills West 3 – Smithtown East 1
Mid seventh pic.twitter.com/4vpUqaCKTE— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 22, 2026
On the brink of elimination and chasing two runs, Smithtown East was still contending with Hills West starter Cascio entering the bottom of the seventh. The freshman had allowed just one run to this point, and racked up eight strikeouts, but Smithtown East opened the inning with back-to-back singles to chase him from the game.
The second baseman D’Amico took the mound in relief of Cascio, but Smithtown East kept rolling. A walk loaded the bases for junior designated hitter Mason Nasta, who ripped an RBI single down the right field line to cut the Hills West lead to 3-2. Next to bat was Gaine, who took a pitch off of his helmet to bring home the tying run from third base.
The junior catcher Gobbi came to the plate with the bases still loaded and a chance to be a hero. He did not need to lift the bat from his shoulder to deliver his team a walk-off win, drawing a five pitch walk to bring home the winning run and prompt a Smithtown East dogpile at first base.
“Going into the dugout in the seventh, down two runs, was a roller coaster of emotions,” Suppa said after the win. “You gotta get the job done, you don’t want the season to end, so I’m proud the boys got it together and we did it.”
“We all believe in our pitching, our bats, and ourselves,” Coach Christensen said. “As long as we’re playing team baseball, we have a good chance to keep winning baseball games.”
Smithtown East will host another elimination game Monday, May 25, against East Islip High School.
With the loss, Half Hollow Hills West has been eliminated from the Suffolk County Playoffs.