East End Ospreys Win Hamptons Adult Hardball League for the Second Consecutive Season

For the second consecutive season, the East End Ospreys are champions of the Hamptons Adult Hardball League.

And for the second consecutive season, it took all three games of the best-of-three championship series to determine a champion. It almost took extra innings, but thanks to Alex Schuchard, they weren’t needed.

With the game tied, 3-3, in the bottom of the seventh inning, and runners on second and third base, Schuchard singled through the left side of the infield and into left field, scoring the game-winning title-clinching run to give the Ospreys the 4-3 victory over the Southampton Publick House Brewers this past Sunday at the Bridgehampton School.

It was the Brewers who won the opening game of the series, 4-2, a week prior on July 20 in Bridgehampton, before the Ospreys came back to win game two, 5-4, on Thursday, July 24, also in Bridgehampton.

Schuchard, an artist who splits time between Sag Harbor and New York City and has played with the Ospreys since their inception into the league four years ago, knew what he was looking for at the plate.

“I think it was a 2-2 count. I was just looking for a fastball,” he said. “I knew he had to come back with something. I just missed a fastball the first pitch down the line. I’ve been seeing the ball pretty good. I knew he was going to come back with a fastball and I was looking for it over the plate, that’s it. I found a spot. Feels pretty damn good.”

Ospreys manager Mike Chiarello, who has been at the helm since he created the team four years ago, said it was a good season considering they had lost some players from last year’s team. But he was able to add some players along the way and everyone contributed.

“We picked up two new guys that contributed massively and these guys just came out,” he said. “We lost a pitcher last year, so were always down a little bit arm-wise. But these guys are warriors. Max [Kra] goes full games, Sam [Fox] goes full games. Everybody just kind of put it in because everybody knew we had to get the wins.”

Chiarello applauded the Brewers for being competitive, not just in the championship series, but the entire season.

“Those guys are awesome,” he said. “They’re probably one of the hardest teams to play because they’re young, fast and they’re aggressive. And then Pete [Barylski] pitches and you’re never going to get him off the mound.”

Kra, originally from Bethesda, Maryland, and who now lives in Sag Harbor, joined the Ospreys last season after running into a friend who had told him about the league. A former collegiate pitcher at Bucknell University, he helped lead the team last year to its first championship and was out there once again in the deciding game, pitching a complete seven-inning game.

“When I’m out there, I try to give as much as I can to let the other arms stay fresh for the games. But today I just let it all out there,” he said. “It’s a great league. Friendly competition. You’re able to make some great friends. It’s very competitive, top to bottom, all four teams.”

A double that split the gap in right center field by Charlie Butler opened the scoring and gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. In bottom of the third, with a runner on third base and two outs, a ground ball was hit to Brewers shortstop Tom Beckman, who fumbled the ball and it allowed the Ospreys to score their first run of the game.

It turned out Beckman fumbled the ball because the ball took an awkward hop, and hit his pinkie on his right throwing hand as he was seeing the ball into his glove. In pain, he almost immediately came off the field but managed to bandage and tape the finger. After a couple of practice tosses, he stayed in the game. In fact, he caught the ensuing fly ball at shortstop to end the inning, then Beckman got that run right back on his own, getting on base and stealing second and third and scoring on the overthrow at third to make it a 3-1 game.

East End tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, when another error allowed a run to score. Then Kra helped himself out with a base hit to center field. Both teams had runners in scoring position in each of the following innings, but stranded those runners leading up to Schuchard’s heroics in the bottom of the seventh.

The Ospreys join the Harbor Kraken as the only two teams to have won two titles. The Kraken won in 2021 and 2022. The Sag Harbor Royals won in 2023.

Barylski, the Southampton Brewers manager who co-founded the league along with Sag Harbor Royals manager Jim Kinnier, congratulated the Ospreys for a hard-fought series.

“Wow! What a championship series! All three games were tight games,” he said. “Someone is going to win and someone is going to lose. With that said, I’d like to congratulate Mike Chiarello and the East End Ospreys for a well-fought championship round, and repeating as HAH champs. Couldn’t have asked for a better ending if you’re a Osprey fan, a walk-off single to win it all.”

Barylski asked that his Brewers teammates keep their heads up.

“We had a great season, playoff run, and shared a hell of a lot of laughs,” he said. “I enjoyed just about every moment, dressing up like big leaguers and playing a game we have been playing since we were kids.”

Barylski also thanked all of those who keep the league running, such as the Bridgehampton and Southampton school districts for access to their fields, along with East Hampton Village’s Herrick Park. He thanked the many umpire crews and Chad Federico for keeping the league’s statistics. And he thanked his daughter, Nicole Barylski, for handling the league’s press releases and social media.

“This league is one of the good things that came out of the pandemic era,” he said. “Both myself and Jim Kinnier played in the same league in Western Suffolk County and Nassau, figured we’d start this thing and step away after a couple years. But it’s like the fountain of youth. Staying in the game definitely helps you feel younger, though maybe a little bit more achier.”

“Baseball revolves around pitching,” Barylski added. “All four teams — Royals, Ospreys, Brewers, and the Kraken — had quality starters and relievers. The league has become very competitive while still keeping a fun, local spirit.”

To that point, HAH will be playing a fall league, tentatively starting the week after Labor Day. New teams, and sponsorships, are always welcome, Barylski said.

For more information, go to hamptonsadulthardball.com.