Ospreys on a roll, close to clinching 1st place title

When Rocco Cimino opened his uniform bag before the North Fork Ospreys Tuesday night game, he was more than a bit surprised.

Instead of seeing his Ospreys blue and gold jersey, there was his Pace University baseball shirt, which has similar colors. While Cimino was working at his father’s business, Apple Ice in Deer Park, during the day, his younger sister Gia accidentally packed his college shirt in the bag.

“Oh, coach is going to kill me, I was thinking,” Cimino said when he saw the Pace jersey.

Some quick thinking ensued as the Ospreys found the shirt of a former player Cimino could wear. Instead of his usual No. 10, he wore No. 1.

It was quite appropriate considering the rising junior played a vital role in a 12-2 victory over the Southampton Breakers in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League game at Cochran Park.

The designated hitter and lead-off man enjoyed a perfect night at the plate, reaching base four times. He went 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs, hit a sacrifice fly, walked and was hit by a pitch, raising his batting average to .299. “I don’t know. Maybe I should be wearing number one more often,” Cimino said with a smile.

“We’ll definitely take it into consideration,” manager Vinnie Morelli said. “I think he looks good in a single digit.”

The first-place Ospreys (18-11-1, 37 points) moved closer to clinching the regular season title and a playoff berth, opening up a seven-point lead over the second-place Breakers (14-13-2, 30) with six contests remaining. Teams earn two points for a win and a point for a tie.

“They’ve been biting at our hind tails a little bit,” Morelli said. “That was also good to get another game up on them and push them down a little bit more.”

Cimino, a Smithtown resident, wound up in the middle of three big innings. He had a run-scoring single in the five-run second, a sacrifice fly in the three-run third and an RBI single in the two-run fourth.

“Just seeing the ball deep and looking for a pitch over the plate to hit,” he said. “Try not to take as many fastballs. Jump on counts early. Try not to hit with two strikes. That’s the best way to hit.”

Several of Cimino’s teammates followed suit. Second baseman Thomas Matuszewski went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, raising his league-leading batting average to .455. Southold native and right fielder Brendan Duffy contributed two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs. Eight Osprey hitters finished with at least one hit. Six were hit by pitches. They also took advantage of five walks and five stolen bases.

Early on, they manufactured runs. During the five-run second against right-hander Brody Minder, they had only three hits, but five batters were hit by pitches.

“We’ve struggled with runners in scoring position this summer,” Morelli said. “To really take advantage of a good pitcher on just a bad day was enormous for us. I’ll give the credit to Coach Kyle McLaughlin tonight. He wrote the lineup. I let him take the reins a little bit.”

Cimino’s Pace teammate Brian Espinal also played a key role, relieving starter Nick Munoz in the third and holding Southampton scoreless for 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and walking two to record the win.

Espinal thought he could do better. “I didn’t have my best stuff today,” he said.

But Morelli was quite pleased, saying the right-hander’s work “was enormous.”

“Brian has been unbelievable,” he added. “I couldn’t be more excited to see his growth from last year. A little bit of PTSD with the first time we went down to Southampton, because that’s where he hurt his elbow last year. For him to come back and do what he’s doing this year, I’ve just been really excited for him.”

Espinal and Cimino were among several Ospreys who participated in Saturday’s HCBL all-star game in Sag Harbor.

“It was a great honor, playing with other kids who just love playing baseball,” Cimino said.

Added Espinal: “It was really fun. The best players in the league were there and I was able to showcase my best stuff.”

Tuesday’s game ended in a rather strange way, as right-hander Andrew Steinhubel balked home the 12th run in the bottom of the sixth, giving the hosts a 10-run lead. That necessitated the mercy rule.

“We talk about this every time we get together,” Morelli said. “It’s something new every day, every baseball game.”