The Hamptons Adult Hardball League began its 2024 season and ended its 2023 season at Sag Harbor’s Mashashimuet Park Sunday, which is to say that after the Publick House Brewers had defeated the league’s new team, Mexico, in the 2024 season-opener, the Sag Harbor Royals bested the two-time-defending champion Kraken 9-6 to win the 2023 championship series that had been left in abeyance last August with the teams tied at 1-1.
A four-run sixth inning turned the trick for the visiting Royals, who trailed 5-4 going into it. Facing Andrew Rodriguez, Jim Kinnier, Chris Scott, and Marcel Link, the bottom of the Royals’ order, all singled, the first two into the outfield and Link by way of a nicely placed bunt that died halfway up the third baseline. Rodriguez rushed to it, but by the time he arrived it was too late to make a play.
That brought up the leadoff hitter — and starting pitcher — Keeler Otero, who promptly doubled in Kinnier and Scott, wresting the lead back for the Royals. Ryan Lovett, who had relieved Otero in the bottom of the fifth, then lofted a high pop toward the right side of the infield that was dropped, allowing another run to score, after which a base hit by Brien Dunkirk made it 8-5. Rodriguez subsequently retired the side on two strikeouts and a 4-3 groundout, but the damage had been done.
The Kraken got one back in the bottom of the sixth. Tom McGrath, who led off with a walk, moved to third when Jim Abran doubled to center field, and came home on the cleanup hitter Steve Turza’s 5-3 groundout. With Abran on third, and two outs, Lovett then threw three straight fastballs by the Kraken’s fifth man, Brennan Rack, to end the inning.
The Kraken’s last at-bat began well as Scott Abran, the sixth hitter, singled, but Lovett subsequently blew 0-2 and 1-2 fastballs by Doc Petrucelli and Tim Pilinko before retiring Mike Milazzo on a comebacker, thus clinching the 2023 championship for the Royals.
Lovett, who struck out six in the three innings he worked, was the winning pitcher. Otero, during the course of the first four innings, gave up five runs, eight hits, struck out four, and walked three.
Rodriguez, who went all the way for the Kraken, gave up 12 hits, struck out seven, and walked three. The Kraken committed four errors behind him. The Royals made no errors.
This week, the Royals play the Ospreys tonight at 6 at Mashashimuet. On Saturday the Kraken play the Ospreys there at 4 p.m. and Mexico plays the Publick House Brewers at 4 at the Southampton jayvee field. On Monday, it’s the Brewers vs. the Royals at 6 p.m. at Mash Park, and on Wednesday Mexico plays the Royals at 6, also at the park.
