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Fourth-Inning Rally and Gritty Relief Pitching Propel Southampton Past Westhampton

by Nolan Locke

Fueled by a towering, two-run homer in a four-run fourth inning, the Southampton Breakers rode a sudden surge of power to a 7-4 victory over the Westhampton Aviators. 

A sunny diamond at Southampton High School played host to an early-season Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League matchup between the 1-1 Breakers and the 1-1 Aviators. 

Southampton sent Stony Brook sophomore and former Commack standout Evan Kay to the mound to handle the starting duties, but Westhampton welcomed him quickly with a leadoff single up the middle by Antonio Belgrove. Kay bounced back after Belgrove was caught stealing, striking out the next two batters to retire the side. 

MIT freshman Justin Lin toed the rubber for the Aviators, establishing an early pitching duel, as he struck out two batters on his way to a 1-2-3 inning. The duel continued through the second as both starters traded scoreless frames. 

In the top of the third, a two-out Frank Kentoffio single and an Antonio Belgrove walk put runners in scoring position for the Aviators, but Kay reached back to strike out Ryan Kiendle and escape the jam. 

The Breakers found themselves with a similar scoring opportunity after a one-out single by shortstop Hector Francia. Francia then stole both second and third, giving Southampton a prime opportunity to open the scoring. An Aidan Colsante two-out single drove in the first run of the game, before back-to-back hits by left fielder Liam Daly and catcher Chase Jones extended the lead, with Jones picking up the RBI. 

In the top of the fourth, the Aviators threatened again after back-to-back two-out singles for Brayden Hromada and Garrett Mathias; however, Kay once again limited the damage with a strikeout. 

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The Breakers offense put up another crooked inning in the bottom of the fourth. Following a leadoff Michael Caron double, Vic Patel crushed a 3-1 breaking ball over the right-field fence to extend the Southampton lead to 4-0.

“In a 3-1 count, our guy steals third. I was just looking to hit the ball in the air to get something going,” said Patel, “I got extended and–boom–home run before you know it.” 

Following Patel‘s dinger, the Breakers offense continued to pour on runs, loading the bases before an Aidan Colsante fielder’s choice drove in the fifth run of the game. The center fielder grabbed his second RBI of the afternoon before a clever double steal allowed Hector Francia to swipe home, capping the four-run inning. 

In the top of the fifth, the Aviators responded with a rally of their own, grabbing two runs on a Kiendle double and a Brett Connolly sacrifice fly, inching the Aviators closer. 

From there, it was all Breakers until the top of the seventh. With Southampton leading 7-2 and looking to close it out, reliever Shane McKenna entered the fray. He walked the first batter he faced and hit the next, before a Connolly single loaded the bases for the Aviators. Back-to-back, bases-loaded walks cut the Breakers‘ lead to three, ending McKenna‘s afternoon. 

With the bases full, one out, and the tying run at the plate, Southampton called upon 6-foot-5 pitcher Isaac Scarvarda to secure the game. Up stepped Garrett Mathias, looking to bring Westhampton closer, but Scarvarda kept his cool. He struck out the first baseman looking before a Danny Nawrocki pop-out ended the Aviators‘ comeback hopes and secured the victory for the Breakers. 

“He threw in our first game, and he threw 10 out of 12 strikes,” said Head Coach Rob Cafiero. “He said he was ready to go today. I knew he was a strike thrower, and he was going to give us a chance to get those last two outs.” 

The Breakers will look to build on their win as they face the Aviators once again in both teams’ next matchup on Tuesday.