The Tuckers circle the mound against undefeated Babylon in early May (Bob O’Rourke photo)
Mattituck High School was eliminated in the Suffolk County Class B Baseball Playoff on Thursday, May 18, in a 7-4 loss to Morris Center. The Tuckers (12-9), who lost their sixth straight game, lost the best-of-two-three semifinal series.
The Tuckers fell to their old rival 13-9 in the series opener.
“Obviously a tough loss,” center fielder Dylan Spooner said.
It was a back-and-forth between two teams that were evenly matched in the regular season on Tuesday, splitting four games. Three matches are decided by two rounds or fewer. The team scored a total of 31 points.
“You have to trust them,” Mattituck coach Dan O’Sullivan said after Tuesday’s home loss. “They’ve been a very patient team all year. They’ve got walks. They’ve been hit by pitches. They’ve put buckets on balls. They’ve found holes early in the game. The wind was definitely a factor, but they hit the ball hard.”
Second-year right-hander Ben Vogel beat the Red Devils 2-0 on May 4, but he couldn’t match his performance on Tuesday. Vogel threw a no-hitter against Greenport earlier this season, but he struggled, especially with control. He played just 2 2/3 innings, allowing 8 runs and 8 hits while striking out and hitting 3 batters.
“He’s usually a shooter in the paint,” O’Sullivan said. “He definitely got a little bit more today. They did get the pitch he just missed. Must be a psycho. He played last year, but never made the playoffs. It’s a tough place to put him in.”
The Red Devils took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when first baseman Max Rayburn drove home Luke Robe and Gavin DeRosa for the first of five RBIs. Mattituck got a payoff on a Ryan Janis single in the second half against right-hander Riley Morris.
Center Moriches (11-9) hit another three on Evan Kaloski’s running single and DeRosa’s two-run single in the second. With two quick swings, the Tuckers turned a 5-1 deficit into a 6-5 lead late in the inning. Spooner hit a loaded double, followed by two more pitches, and Berman, who hit triple, hit a home run to left, his third of the season.
“We can thank the wind for that,” Berman said. “I didn’t really see where it landed. But it went away pretty quickly and that was probably the wind.”
That advantage didn’t last long, as the visitors scored five runs in the top of the third quarter with two outs. Luke Rebore’s RBI single, DeRosa’s walk and Rayburn’s three-run double led to a 10-6 inning.
Tuckers tried to get it off. In the fourth quarter, Berman’s double center put Brendon Barkley on the field.
What the wind gives, it can also take away. Spooner got first in the sixth when Berman hit a drive to center that turned into a sacrifice fly that sent Spooner to third. Spooner scored on Janis’ single.
“The wind killed it in mid-air,” Berman said.
Mattituck loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh. But with the home run tied, reliever John Johnston, who allowed just one run in the final three innings, retired Barkley, Mike Mody and Spooner to earn saves.
The Tuckers were optimistic they would win Thursday and return home for Game 3 on Friday, but that hasn’t happened this season. Joey Hiller pitched a full game and struck out nine for the Red Devils (12-8) in Thursday’s series. The Center Moriches will take on top seed Babylon (19-0) for the county title in a best-of-three series that begins Monday.
