Bridgehampton/Ross Wins Fourth Straight With 14-5 Victory Over Greenport

The Bridgehampton/Ross baseball team put the ball in play early and often Monday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead by the end of the third inning. That’s all the Killer Bees (5-6) would need in a 14-5 win over Greenport, the team’s fourth straight win and first of the new series.

“We immediately came out of the gate with a lot of pressure,” said Ross junior Milo Tompkins. “That was our game. We wanted to go out there and put them down early. We wanted to come out with everything we’ve got.”

The junior catcher did that and then some, following lead-off batter Scott Vinski’s single to right field by drawing a walk and stealing second after Vinski, a Bridgehampton senior playing first base, swiped second and third. Ross freshman shortstop Tate Foard’s sacrifice fly brought in Vinski, and Ross sophomore Alexi Kardaras’s hit to third was thrown wide of first base to help Tompkins score. Ross sophomore Shawn Gnyp also drew a walk, and Bridgehampton senior designated hitter Jack Boeshore singled, with the ball being overthrown at home, to help Kardaras cross the plate.

“It’s great to see the bats working, cutting down on two strikes, putting the ball in play and forcing the defense to make a play to get us out,” said Vinski, who went 2 for 3 with a walk, three runs, three steals and two RBIs. “I, personally, was trying to keep my approach simple — to hit the ball where it was pitched. If it was thrown away, I hit it away. If it was thrown middle, I hit it up the middle. And I just tried to protect. I got into a couple of two strike counts, so I just tried to put it in play and make something happen.”

Bridgehampton freshman left handed pitcher Kai Alversa was also quick to get to work with a 1-2-3 top of the second, earning his second of five strikeouts across four innings, before the top of the lineup went back to it. First, Bridgehampton senior center fielder Hugo Kapon landed safe at first on an overthrow, and stole second and third before Vinski was walked and swiped a bag and Tompkins was walked to load the bases. Vinski’s twin brother, Kris, blasted a two-run single for a 5-0 lead, and Foard followed it up with a bases-clearing single for a 7-0 advantage. On two outs, the Killer Bees continued to work their counts with Scott Vinski’s two-run double on 2-2 and Tompkins’ RBI-single on 1-2 that tipped off the Greenport third baseman’s glove. Kris Vinski walked to load the bases, and Foard’s walk thereafter brought home his brother to put Bridgehampton up 12-0 to end the inning.

“We put a lot of balls in play, we threw strikes and we played good defense behind our pitcher, so, it was a good day overall,” head coach Lou Liberatore said, adding that he liked his team’s contact rate. “They’re finding the right pitches, and when you put the ball in play, good things happen. I think it was a great team effort today.”

The big lead also allowed for others to get some playing time, which will help add some depth down the stretch.

“It was great to get them in early in this game, and it was also great to see how excited the starters were for the bench guys to come in,” Liberatore said. “These guys mesh really well. They continue to get better each day, and we are really excited about where we are going to be at the end of the season.”

Tompkins, who finished 2 for 2 with two walks, two runs and two RBIs said after seeing his team struggle against Port Jefferson (7-3), it’s been a big confidence boost to see his Killer Bees excel with a dominating sweep of Amityville (3-7).

“We are trying to create good habits and get better,” the junior said. “We are finally coming together, and it’s great for us, especially heading into Pierson, where we are obviously going to be facing some better competition.”

Scott Vinski said the nine-plus runs the team has put up in each of the last seven games, 11-and-up in the last four, has been encouraging. After two more against the Porters, Bridgehampton begins its next series hosting the Whalers, which are currently 8-3.

“Last year, we struck out a lot at the plate, so this is awesome to see,” Vinski said. “Everyone is involved. Even in practice, everyone is working on something and everyone is encouraging each other. I think we are in a really good spot, and hopefully this will create some good momentum for us going forward.”