Sports Notebook: Southampton Baseball Team Upsets Babylon

Despite starting the season with eight straight league losses, the Southampton varsity baseball team has begun to show their competition that although the Mariners may be light on experience, they’re talent and ability can often make up for it.

Southampton’s biggest win of the season occurred on Thursday evening as Southampton (3-11 in Suffolk League VIII) defeated a playoff-bound Babylon team 7-4 at .

Behind the stellar pitching of Colin Buoniello and the big-time power hitting of Alex Soyars, the Mariners took the lead early and never relinquished it, with Soyars delivering the biggest blow when he crushed a Max Watt pitch for a towering three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Soyars finished the game with three hits in four at-bats, three runs scored and three RBI and teammate Jay Fitch added two hits including a two-run double.

Buoniello, who has been the winning pitcher in all three of the Mariners League VIII victories this season, struck out a game-high 11 batters, allowing only four hits and two earned runs in another outstanding effort. Southampton finishes its three-game series at Babylon on May 13 before the Mariners play their final series of the season against Center Moriches, beginning on May 16 at their home field (4 p.m.).

Mariners Track & Field Defeats Wyandanch, Falls to Bayport-Bluepoint

Southampton’s boys track & field team picked up a big win over Wyandanch on May 5, defeating the Warriors 69-65 with one of the highlights of the meet produced by Nick Collazos, who won three key races, including the mile (4:52), the two mile (9:10) and the 800-meter dash (2:07). And although the Mariners lost to league champion Bayport-Blue Point 87-45 on Thursday at Southampton High School, they’ve been competitive in every meet this season, winning two of their last four.

Lady Whalers Cruise to Softball Playoffs

The Pierson/Bridgehampton varsity softball team will be cruising into the playoffs with plenty of impressive wins this season, including a 14-0 victory at Southold/Greenport on May 10 and an 18-0 landslide against visiting Stony Brook on May 11. In their win over Southold/Greenport, Lady Whalers starter Melanie Stafford pitched a perfect game with 10 strikeouts. Stafford pitched five innings (mercy rule/time stoppage) and the defense did the rest. Stafford and Kaci Koehne paced the offense with three hits each.

In their win over Stony Brook, Stafford allowed only one hit and struck out nine batters and she’s now pitched 17 scoreless innings. Alexa Lantere was the hitting star with three hits, while Kasey Gilbride chipped in with two, including a home run.