8 Photos
East Hampton's Harry Thomas catches a throw from catcher Elias Wojtusiak and applies a tag to catch a North Patchogue-Medford base runner attempting to steal second base. DREW BUDD
East Hampton's Harry Thomas catches a throw from catcher Elias Wojtusiak and applies a tag to catch a North Patchogue-Medford base runner attempting to steal second base. DREW BUDD
East Hampton's Harry Thomas catches a throw from catcher Elias Wojtusiak and applies a tag to catch a North Patchogue-Medford base runner attempting to steal second base. DREW BUDD
After giving up three runs in the top of the first inning, Finn Alversa settled down nicely and didn't allow a run the rest of the game. DREW BUDD
East Hampton Majors All-Stars and coaches look on intently from the dugout. DREW BUDD
East Hampton shortstop Luca Biondo goes to throw to first base. DREW BUDD
Henry Thomas rounds third base and scampers home during East Hampton's three-run first inning that tied the game. DREW BUDD
East Hampton's Elias Wojtusiak offers at a pitch. DREW BUDD
The North Patchogue-Medford Majors All-Stars outnumbered and stood head and shoulders above their East Hampton counterparts in the District 36 semifinal between the two teams at Stotzky Memorial Park in Riverhead on Monday evening. After starting the game in a 3-0 deficit thanks to a pair of home runs, East Hampton could have bowed its head and said see ya later.
Instead, the scrappy 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds responded with three runs of their own to tie the game in the bottom of the first inning, and for the next three innings stayed neck and neck and proved that what they lack in size and numbers they make up with skill and heart. East Hampton even took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Braxton Rogan singled in a runner from third base.
But North Patchogue-Medford proved to be too much, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 8-4 lead. East Hampton, again, to its credit, didn’t go down without a fight, scratching across a run in the sixth and had runners on the corners, but eventually succumbed to the larger Pat-Med squad, 8-5.
The loss eliminated East Hampton from the District 36 Tournament. North Patchogue-Medford will face East End Little League for the district title this Thursday, July 14, at North Shore Little League Complex in Rocky Point at 5:45 p.m.
“Not only were they big but there was this legend that came with them leading up to this,” East Hampton manager Jason Biondo said after the game. “We had all heard that Patchogue-Medford was undefeated in their pool and they’ve got one or two incredible pitchers. It was like we were going to face a Yankees farm team.”
“And another thing with our guys is that they’re a little out of it after a long drive and I was so worried that was going to be the case. I told them, ‘You guys have to get focused,’ and they brought the focus,” he continued. “It was 3-3 for a long time, and it just tilted in Patchogue’s favor at the end.”
It was North Patchogue-Medford’s cleanup hitter that hit a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, well over the fence in right center field. Then the very next batter hit a home run over the fence in center field.
That seemed to rattle East Hampton a little bit but not for long. Colton Everett drove in his team’s first run after a double, then after a run-scoring fielder’s choice, Luca Biondo tied the game with a single, and the game remained locked in at 3-3 until the fifth inning.
Monday’s loss may have been tough for East Hampton, but one thing the league has shown over the course of many years now is that it’s a perennial lock to legitimately battle for a district title, and Biondo said that’s something that Vinny Alversa, a parent within the league who is also the East Hampton School District’s varsity baseball head coach, began years ago.
“It’s a large group of people, men and women, and at the center of it all is Vinny Alversa. He started this grassroots movement like 10 years ago,” he explained. “It’s going to pay dividends because the idea is to cultivate this whole culture in East Hampton where we’re making baseball players and lets bring back what we had at East Hampton High School back in the good ’ole days.”
This year’s Majors All-Stars included Finn Alversa, Declan Balnis, Luca Biondo, Ethan Dodge, Miles Eckardt, Colton Everett, Colin Grisch, Oskar Merseburg, Braxton Rogan, Aidan Stone, Harry Thomas and Elias Wojtusiak. Jason Biondo managed the team and was assisted by Kenny Dodge and Ray Wojtusiak.
