Sports

Baseball: First Settlers make Golden’s last game a loss

Southold's Dylan Clausen slides into third base safely while Greenport's Keegan Syron covers the bag. (Credit: Garret Meade)
Southold’s Dylan Clausen slides into third base safely while Greenport’s Keegan Syron covers the bag. (Credit: Garret Meade)

FIRST SETTLERS 12, PORTERS 0

Those were raindrops, not teardrops, falling from the gray sky on Thursday afternoon. The ominous clouds rolling overhead added a sense of gloom to the closing of a dismal season that both the Southold and Greenport high school baseball teams might be inclined to cry about.

Both teams were in the same boat, really. With no titles to play for and the playoffs out of the question, the mood was light in this battle for third place in Suffolk County League IX.

Not only was it the last game of the season for the teams, but it was Chris Golden’s final game as Greenport’s coach. Before the game, Golden announced that he will not return to the Porters next season so that he can devote more time to coaching soccer and his family. He also said, apparently half-kiddingly, that the brutal spring weather has taken a toll on him as he approaches his 50th birthday.

Some oddities accompanied Golden’s final game. Although it was a Greenport home game, the contest was moved to Southold High School since Greenport’s field was unplayable because of puddles caused by rain earlier in the day. But the game was played on Southold’s junior high school field, which First Settlers coach Mike Carver said was in better shape than the varsity field.

The junior high school field used to be the varsity field, and Carver’s teams had won many games on it in years past. On Thursday the First Settlers won another one, 12-0, to sweep the season-ending, three-game series.

Anthony Fedele, a senior right-hander, pitched a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts. He received 13 hits worth of support from Southold bats.

Shayne Johnson drove in three runs on 3-for-4 hitting. He also scored three runs and stole a base. Four other First Settlers — Fedele, Alex Poliwoda, Anthony Esposito and Timmy Stankiewicz — chipped in two hits apiece. Fedele and Poliwoda knocked in two runs each.

The First Settlers (4-11, 4-8) came out hitting. They put up 10 runs and 10 hits in the first three innings.

Fedele was cruising as well. The light drizzle through the first half of the game didn’t seem to bother him. During that time, the only hit he surrendered was a lined single by Greenport’s leadoff batter, Timmy Stevens, in the first inning.

Fedele had a three-hitter going before the Porters (4-10, 3-9) produced infield singles by Eddie Rogers and Ryan Weingart in the sixth.

Stevens and Christian Angelson handled the pitching for the Porters through the first three innings. Then Golden handed the ball to Weingart, a senior center fielder who made his first pitching appearance a memorable one. Golden said he had intended to have Weingart pitch for only one inning, but the righty did well enough that he let him finish the game. Weingart allowed three hits and one earned run over the four innings he worked, earning praise from his coach. Weingart also had a pair of hits and stole two bases.

Because the game was moved from Greenport, a pregame ceremony to honor Greenport’s former athletic director, Robbie Costantini, was cancelled. The Greenport field is named after him.

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