by Trevor Dugan
We spoke to James Rice (Gardner Webb) of the Southampton Breakers after his 3 RBI day at Veterans Park pic.twitter.com/6riyioGKDp
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 8, 2026
The Hamptons League-leading Southampton Breakers were firing on all cylinders Wednesday evening, scoring 11 runs with their two leading hitters out of the lineup to cruise to an easy victory over the Riverhead Tomcats.
Southampton’s Nick Slogik, who leads the HCBL with a .452 batting average, did not play Wednesday. Neither did his teammate Chase Jones, who ranks fourth in the Hamptons League with a .424 average. Despite this missing production, the Breakers put double-digits on the scoreboard for the seventh time this season.
The lopsided final score does not tell the full story, however. Tomcats starting pitcher Tyler Lopez (SUNY New Paltz) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The Tomcats scored first on a throwing error by the Southampton catcher in the bottom of the first, and held that lead for much of the game.
Lopez struck out three batters and allowed just two hits across his five innings pitched for Riverhead, but his solid start came to an unceremonious end in the top of the fifth, when the Breakers broke up both his no-hit bid and shutout.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Southampton catcher Brody Ruyle (Pomona-Pitzer) laced a base hit into center field to give the Breakers their first hit of the game. The backstop was then driven home on an RBI single by second baseman Brendan Gardner (Holy Cross), tying things at 1-1 before Lopez escaped the inning.
After knotting things up at 1-1, the Breakers replaced SP Shane McKenna on the mound with Daniel McDonnell (Roger Williams University) to begin the bottom of the fifth. McDonnell pitched just one inning, ending his scoreless frame with a strikeout, which was enough to earn him the win on the mound when the Breakers took the lead in the sixth.
The top of the sixth saw the Tomcats make a pitching change of their own, replacing Lopez with Josh Polanco (Molloy), who would be roughed up to the tune of 10 ER in his two innings of work.
Left fielder Zach Khohozian (Harvard) led the inning off with a double, and came in to score on an RBI single by right fielder Vic Patel (transfer portal) to give the Breakers the lead. Southampton would score four more times in the inning on an error, sacrifice fly, and a series of bases-loaded walks, taking a 6-1 lead.
The Tomcats showed some fight in the bottom of the sixth, scoring one more run on an RBI double by Shaun McMillan (St. John’s) to cut Southampton’s lead to 6-2 heading into the final inning.
Following their breakthrough sixth inning, the Breakers kept their foot on the gas in the top of the seventh and scored five more runs. With one out, James Rice (Gardner Webb) smashed a towering two-run home run to left to stretch the Breakers’ lead to 8-2. Two more runs came across on an RBI single by Alex Apicella (Rowan College), then Khohozian capped the inning off with an RBI double, his second double of the game, to extend Southampton’s lead to 11-2.
Evan Gentile (Hartford) recorded the final three outs on the mound for the Breakers, securing their 14th victory of the season. The first place Breakers improve to 14-9 on the season, while the Tomcats, now losers of five straight games, fall to 8-15.
The Southampton Breakers will return to action Thursday, July 9, as they visit the Shelter Island Bucks at Shelter Island School.
The Riverhead Tomcats will also return to play Thursday, July 9, against the North Fork Ospreys at Cochran Park.