Southampton Baseball Mounts Huge Comeback To Take Game From Mattituck

Trailing Mattituck, 5-1, after four and a half innings on April 26, the Southampton baseball team’s fate, not only for the game but its season, was not looking all that great. But the Mariners busted out for six runs in the fifth inning to take the lead and then another six runs in the sixth to defeat the visiting Tuckers, 13-5, keeping their postseason hopes alive.

Southampton had lost single games to all three League IX opponents, Babylon, Center Moriches and Mattituck two weeks ago, and had lost its opening game of the three-game series in Mattituck on April 25, so losing the second game of the series would have really put the Mariners behind the eight-ball in regards to being able to stay in the playoff hunt. But taking at least one game — the two teams were scheduled meet once more in Mattituck for the series finale on Saturday but that was postponed until Monday — keeps the Mariners (4-7 in League IX, 5-8 overall) in the hunt. It was just the Tuckers second loss of the season, the other coming against undefeated Babylon.

“We play in a four-team division, so we really have to split with Babylon, Mattituck and Center,” Southampton head coach Zach Epley explained. “Last week, when we lost to all three, we basically spotted everyone a game, so it was a good win. We had been playing catch-up, so hopefully this will bring us some momentum going forward.”

The Mariners scored their first run of the game without getting a hit. Douglas Dunkirk was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third before Declan Barbour dropped a bunt down that brought in Dunkirk; Barbour was thrown out at first. In fact, the Mariners were being no-hit before Barbour got them into the hit column with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, which is when they began their first rally. After Barbour’s base hit, Cameron Gratton walked and almost in a blink of an eye, Epley said, six runs had come across the plate. The Mariners sent seven batters to the plate with two outs and got run-scoring base hits from Riley Herrmann, Daniel McDonnell, Liam Blackmore and Jackson Romanow, with Blackmore’s turning out to be the game winner.

Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Southampton started another rally again with two outs. Elijah Abella had a couple of hits in the inning and McDonnell scored a pair of runs.

McDonnell went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, Blackmore went 2 for 3 and drove in three RBIs. Romanow went 2 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs himself. Barbour was 1 for 3 and scored twice and Epley said it was his big hit in the fifth that not only broke up the no-hitter but started the team’s come-from-behind rally.

McDonnell started on the mound for Southampton and battled the Mattituck offense all game. He struck out eight and didn’t allow a walk until the two he let up in his the sixth, his last inning of work. He only allowed three earned runs, which allowed the Mariners to stay in the game and in striking distance of a comeback. Jackson Romanow pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish up the game.

“Daniel got some very big strikeouts for us in key moments,” Epley said of his starter. “He only let up three earned runs, and in six innings of work, that’s good. I really feel you should be able to score five or six runs to win a high school game, so he kept us in it. And he only walked two batters in the sixth inning so he was throwing strikes all game.”

Epley originally thought that Saturday’s game that was rained out would be postponed to Tuesday, but with both his team and Mattituck being off Monday, that’s when they finished up the series. That avoided a logjam of games with a three-game series against Babylon set for Wednesday through Friday of this week.

“The goal is to take one of three from Babylon,” he said. “If we take two of three that would be unbelievable and that would set up a big week against Center Moriches the last week of the season.”