News

by Greg Diener

It was a new team and a new concept for the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. Take a team of some of the talented local collegiate talent on Long Island and have a travelling club around the Island all summer.

Under the guidance of their head coach Neal Heaton, Long Island finished as the second seed in the HCBL playoffs. Long Island would not disappoint going a perfect 4-0 in the postseason as the Road Warriors took the HCBL title from defending champion Westhampton in a 5-3 victory in Game 2 of the 2017 HCBL Championship Series.

In the first two and a half innings a pitcher’s duel emerged between Westhampton’s Grant Young (San Francisco) and Long Island’s Shane McDonald (Southern New Hampshire) as nobody could break through on the scoreboard.

With one out in the bottom of the third, Garrett Heaton (SUNY Cortland) singled and then Sean Rausch (Hofstra) doubled setting up the stage for the hero of the previous game Jordan Folgers (Siena). Folgers, who’s grand slam in Game 1 was the difference in Long Island’s comeback win did not disappoint with a three-run shot to left center.

Long Island would later add another run in the inning on a sacrifice fly from Rob Weissheier (Hofstra) that scored Michael Veit (Fairleigh Dickinson) for the Road Warriors fourth run of the inning.

Weshampton would get a run with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. Cam Climo (UMass Lowell) doubled for the first Aviator hit of the ballgame. AJ Montoya (Toledo) would have an RBI single in the following at-bat to drive in Climo putting the Aviators on the board.

The Road Warriors would get the run back in the bottom of the fifth. Veit leadoff the inning with his third hit of the day on a double. After Veit advanced to third on a 1-4 sacrifice bunt by Ben McNeill (NYIT), Weissheier would hit an RBI double driving in his second run on the day. Long Island had a 5-1 lead at the end of five innings.

Meanwhile on the mound, McDonald was having an amazing afternoon. The SNHU Penmen only allowed a run on six hits over seven innings. McDonald struck out 12 Westhampton batters while only giving up one walk.

The Road Warriors would turn to Pat McCabe (LIU Post) to start the top of the eighth in relief of McDonald. McCabe would allow a leadoff walk to Matt Hansen (Toledo) to start the inning. A single by Nick Bottari (Southeastern) and an error loaded the bases with nobody out.

A walk with the bases loaded to Montoya cut the Road Warriors lead to 5-2. Long Island would have to once again go to the bullpen and turn to Matthew Buckshaw (SUNY Maritime) to get out of the jam.

Buckshaw would get a liner from Joe Curcio (LIU-Brooklyn) but an overthrow would allow Hansen to score from third to put Westhampton within two runs. Buckshaw would settle down and get the remaining two outs to keep Long Island in the lead.

Buckshaw would return to the mound with a shot to get the save and give Long Island the HCBL title in their expansion season. Buckshaw would get the first two men out and then would get Bottari to fly out to McNeill in right field to give the Road Warriors the 2017 HCBL title.

Long Island became the first Post-2009 expansion team in the HCBL to win the title in their very first season. The Road Warriors also became the second two-seed to win the HCBL championship and the first since Westhampton won their first HCBL title in 2009.

For the first time in the history of the HCBL Championship Series, Co-MVP’s were awarded to two outstanding players for the Road Warriors. Jordan Folgers and Shane McDonald were given the honors as both players were key to Long Island’s championship run.

Folgers two home runs in the Championship Series were key to Long Island’s wins as he finished with seven RBI in total for the series.

McDonald’s amazing day on the mound made him only the second pitcher to be named HCBL Championship Series MVP. Robert Kelly (St. Anselm) was the MVP in the 2010 HCBL Championship Series for North Fork earning the win in Game 3 over the Riverhead Tomcats while batting 5 for 13 with a home run and 7 RBI in the series.

McDonald became the first player to win the HCBL Championship Series MVP award while primarily as a pitcher in the series.

Folgers when asked by HCBL broadcaster Emmaunel Berbari on keeping his composure balanced with two big home runs against a top-ranked Westhampton pitching staff said, “I just wanted to keep my emotions in check and stay relaxed and do my thing.”

Folgers who came into the postseason only batting .169 for Long Island in the regular season wanted to make the most of his opportunities, “coming off redshirting at school (Siena), it took me a while to get my swing back, I just wanted to end it strong.”

McDonald who was one of the top pitchers in the HCBL in 2017 only allowing one earned run in regular season felt his day was like any other game for him. “I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing all summer, trying to locate and stay ahead. I just kind of let my stuff take over.”

The Long Island Road Warriors truly lived up to their name in 2017 and now can lay claim as the best summer collegiate team on Long Island with an HCBL Championship.