Sports

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

After trailing 2-1 heading into the eighth inning, Nico Azpilcueta emerged as the hero, delivering a go-ahead two-RBI single to give Stony Brook a 3-2 lead, ultimately securing a 4-2 road victory over Rider on March 19 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

The Seawolves struck first in their opening trip to the plate, taking an early 1-0 lead. Johnny Pilla ignited the rally with a one-out walk, followed by stealing second and third base. Azpilcueta then brought in Pilla on a sacrifice fly, giving the Seawolves the advantage.

Jacob Pedersen got the start for Stony Brook and began his outing with a 1-2-3 bottom of the first inning.

Following a flyout to begin the second inning, Brett Davino drew a walk in his first start of the season, stole second base, and advanced to third on a flyout. However, he was left stranded, keeping the score at 1-0.

Pedersen returned in the second inning, recorded a strikeout, and stranded two runners to end the frame.

The Seawolves went down in order in the top of the third inning. Matt Sgambati then entered the game for Stony Brook in the bottom half and retired the Broncs in order, maintaining the 1-0 lead heading into the fourth.

Azpilcueta led off the fourth inning with a walk but was ultimately stranded at second base.

Evan Kay took the mound for Stony Brook in the fourth inning. After retiring the first two batters, he surrendered an RBI base hit, allowing Rider to tie the game at 1-1.

Following a scoreless fifth inning for the Seawolves, Rider capitalized on an RBI single in their half of the frame to take a 2-1 advantage.

Stony Brook stranded a runner on second to close the sixth inning. Alex Jankowski entered the game and worked around a leadoff single to keep the deficit at one.

In his first career start, Scott Gell tallied a one-out single in the seventh inning and advanced to third by stealing two bases. However, Rider recorded a strikeout to escape the inning unscathed.

Ty Panariello took over on the mound after the seventh-inning stretch and efficiently retired the side with two flyouts and a foulout to first base.

Stony Brook responded in the eighth inning with an offensive surge, scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead. Erik Paulsen was hit by a pitch to start the rally, followed by a single from Pilla. After a Rider pitching change, Azpilcueta delivered a clutch two-RBI single to put the Seawolves ahead 3-2. A few batters later, Carson added an insurance run with an RBI groundout.

Panariello returned in the eighth, allowing a leadoff walk but inducing a double play and a foulout to preserve the two-run lead.

In Rider’s final attempt at a comeback in the ninth, Ryan Dieguez entered the game for the Seawolves and secured the victory.

Up next, the team returns to action this weekend as they travel to Delaware for their first CAA series of the season. First pitch of the three-game set is scheduled for Friday, March 21 at 5 p.m. and can be streamed live on FloBaseball.

#13 Crimson Rice twirled a complete-game, two-hit shutout during Wednesday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook softball shutout Iona, 2-0, on March 19 at University Field. Crimson Rice twirled a complete-game, two-hit shutout and Mia Vannelli powered the offense with a solo shot, the first of her collegiate career.

12 of the game’s first 13 batters were set down, with Iona tallying the lone hit over the first two full innings of play.

The Gaels advanced a runner to third base with two outs in the third, but Rice induced a grounder to short to neutralize the chance.

Stony Brook started the scoring in the bottom of the third. Malorie Hill, Kaiya Simpkins and Kyra McFarland all reached base after being hit by pitches. Naiah Ackerman plated the game’s first run with a single through the middle, but the Seawolves could not add anything more in the frame.

Vannelli added to the lead with her first collegiate homer in the fourth, putting Stony Brook ahead 2-0.

Rice retired 12 of the final 13 batters after being staked to a lead, allowing just one single over the final four innings, closing out a shutout victory.

“Really proud of our team for coming out and turning it around after yesterday and to play a complete ballgame today to get an important win for us,” head coach Megan T. Bryant said.

Up next, the team hosts Charleston this weekend in the CAA home-opening series. The three-game series begins on Friday, March 21. First pitch set for 1 pm at University Field.

By Michael Scro

The Mount  Sinai Mustangs met the Wantagh Warriors in the Long Island girls A basketball final game at Farmingdale State College on March 15. 

The Mustangs entered the final after beating Islip on March 9. Wantagh presented fierce competition to Mount Sinai with their then 21-2 record.

Building on their 12-9 lead, Wantagh defeated the Mustangs 54-30, securing the championship title. Mount Sinai had their best performance in the third quarter, gaining 11 points, but it wasn’t enough of a comeback to reach the Warriors, who finished the quarter 12 points ahead. The Mount Sinai girls varsity basketball team ends their season with a 19-4 record.  

— Photos by Michael Scro/Media Origin 

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University Athletics

Stony Brook softball lost to the University of Delaware, 2-1, on March 16 in Newark, Del. The Seawolves moved to 2-4 in CAA play, suffering a sweep at the hands of the Blue Hens.

Delaware struck first in the opening frame, but scored just once and stranded the bases loaded. Crimson Rice allowed a two-out single that scored a run, then after an error and a walk, she produced a ground ball to escape an early jam.

Madelyn Stepski led off the second inning with a triple, scoring later in the inning when Emma Scheitinger drove her in.

Stony Brook was poised to tack on more in the third inning, but Delaware turned to Billie Kerwood for the third straight day. Kerwood stymied the Seawolves’ offense for the third time in as many days.

Entering with runners on the corners and nobody out, Kerwood walked Naiah Ackerman on four pitches to dig a deeper hole. The Seawolves couldn’t capitalize however, as a ground ball forced out the lead runner at the plate and the next two hitters were punched out by Kerwood to leave the bases juiced.

Kerwood kept Stony Brook’s offense at bay, striking out nine of the next 12 hitters she faced and giving her offense a chance to take a lead.

The Blue Hens would gain an advantage in the scoring column in the bottom of the sixth after a lead-off double and a single through the middle.

Gabrielle Maday, who re-entered to replace Rice after the double, recorded all three outs in the sixth inning and limited the damage to just the one run.

Kyra McFarland and Ackerman both hit safely with Stony Brook down to its final out in the contest, but Kerwood notched her 11th strikeout to strand the tying and go-ahead runs on base and secure the sweep.

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University Athletics

The Stony Brook women’s track and field team opened its outdoor season with an impressive showing at the Stony Brook Snowflake Classic on March 15. The Seawolves totaled 11 top-three finishes, with seven coming via event wins.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Enyero Omokeni took first place in the 400m (1:00.12).
  • Shaylen Goslar finished first in the 800m (2:13.39), setting a new PR in the event.
  • Grace Sisson won the mile run (5:00.42).
  • Jasmine Mason-Rudolph won the 100m hurdles (17.46) and 400m hurdles (1:07.66).
  • Omokeni, Samantha St. Juste, Nicola Pesnell, and Camille Grable finished first in the 4×200 relay (1:48.50).
  • Brienna Ahmetaj won the high jump in a jump-off (1.50m, 4’11”).
  • Paulina Gasparis, Olivia Simonetti, Julia Samuelson, and Isabel Leonardo teamed up in the 4×200 relay and finished second (1:53.36).
  • Danielle Cirrito placed second in the mile run (5:00.67).
  • Simonetti finished second in the 400m (1:00.14), setting a new PR in the event.
  • Amelie Guzman finished third in the mile run (5:16.66).

“It was nice to have a home meet to start the outdoor season. Both men’s and women’s teams enjoyed the opportunity to compete on home turf,” head coach Andy Ronan said. “For the start of the season, we produced some solid performances that we can build on as the season progresses.”

Ryan Scarry raced to victory in the 400m hurdles. Photo from Stony Brook University Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s track and field team opened its outdoor season with an impressive showing at the Stony Brook Snowflake Classic on March 15. The Seawolves totaled 13 top-three finishes, and four event wins coming from Ryan Scarry, Collin Gilstrap, Michael Hawkes, and Mario Xerri on the day.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Scarry raced to victory in the 400m hurdles (1:01.60).
  • Gilstrap took first with a strong run in the 3000m event (8:15.13).
  • Hawkes won the mile run with an impressive clocking of 4:24.20.
  • Xerri crossed the finish line first in the 800m race (1:55.83).
  • Ryan Hesler finished second in the 800m (1:55.88), setting a new PR in the event.
  • David Onovo placed second in the 400m (51.55).
  • Thomas Burfeind took home a second-place finish in the mile (4:24.34).
  • Steven Struk finished second in the 3000m (8:19.47), setting a new PR in the event.
  • Scarry placed second in the 110m hurdles (17.10).
  • The team of Michael Ye, Luke Clackett, Onovo, and Walesky Nowak finished second in the 4×200 relay (1:31.64).
  • Luca Maneri placed third in the mile run (4:28.34.).
  • Walesky Nowak finished third in the 800m (1:58.00), setting a new PR in the event.
  • Clackett took third in the 400m (51.93), setting a new PR in the event.

“It was nice to have a home meet to start the outdoor season. Both men’s and women’s teams enjoyed the opportunity to compete on home turf,” head coach Andy Ronan said. “For the start of the season, we produced some solid performances that we can build on as the season progresses.”

Paulsen extended his hitting streak to eight games and has reached base in every game this season. He tallied a career-high five hits, the most by any Seawolf this season, and now leads the CAA with a .460 average. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
The Stony Brook baseball team recorded a season-high 18 hits and held a 9-7 lead into the eighth inning, but a late rally by Seton Hall on March 16 gave the Pirates a 13-10 victory, securing a series win at Joe Nathan Field.

After a strikeout by left-hander Nicholas Rizzo to start the game, Seton Hall launched a home run to left in the next at-bat to take an early 1-0 advantage.

Stony Brook answered with two runs in the bottom of the first on a two-run shot from Johnny Pilla, bringing in Erik Paulsen, who started the rally with a single.

Seton Hall tacked on another run in the second to tie the game at 2-2. However, Stony Brook responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half to retake a 4-2 lead. Paulsen brought in Goforth and Miceli with a two-out double down the right-field line.

Rizzo escaped a bases-loaded jam by inducing a groundout to second, keeping Stony Brook’s two-run lead intact.

Nico Azpilcueta led off the third with a double to right-center and later scored on an RBI single by Chris Carson to extend the lead to 5-2.

The Pirates erupted for five runs in the top of the fourth, taking a 7-5 lead.

Stony Brook responded with three runs in the bottom half, reclaiming an 8-7 lead. Miceli led off with a homer to left, Matt Jackson doubled down the right-field line to bring in Paulsen, and Doughty added an RBI single to score Azpilcueta.

Vincent Mariella stranded a runner on third to end the fifth inning.

Paulsen tallied his fourth hit of the day in the fifth, an RBI double to left-center that brought home Goforth, making it 9-7.

After the first two Pirates reached base in the sixth, Mariella recorded a strikeout and induced an inning-ending double play to maintain the two-run advantage.

Both teams went scoreless in the seventh before Seton Hall exploded for five runs in the eighth, taking a 12-9 lead.

Stony Brook responded with a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Azpilcueta that plated Paulsen, cutting the deficit to 12-10.

The Pirates added another run in the ninth to seal the 13-10 victory and the series win.

The team returns to the diamond on Wednesday as they head to New Jersey to battle Rider for the fifth time in program history. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. in Lawrenceville.

Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) honored two Ward Melville High School teams at the Legislature’s General Meeting on March 4.

On hand to receive proclamations from Englebright were the high school’s cheerleading and girls soccer team members. Both teams were recognized for their wins at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) championship games in November.

Cheerleading

The cheerleading team, coached by Head Coach Georgia Curtis and Assistant Coach Maggie Hurley, emerged as the 2024 Class A state Game Day Champions at a competition held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy on November 10. The team earned the state title with a 90.6. In March 2024, they also were the state champions after winning the Competitive Class A title.

“To the Ward Melville cheerleaders thank you for cheering on the Ward Melville Patriots football and basketball teams and for providing moral support to your fellow athletes,” Englebright said. “Most important of all, congratulations to all of you on your hard work and athletic accomplishments that make your school district and our county and community proud of each and every one of you.”

A few days after their trip to the County Legislature, the team traveled to the state championship in Binghamton, where they walked away the Competitive Class A champions once again.

Girls soccer

The Ward Melville Patriots Girl’s Soccer Team won the 2024 state Class AAA final, 1-0, at SUNY Cortland on November 17. The win was their third consecutive victory at the state championships.

In addition to winning the three state finals in a row, the team – led by Captains Maddie Costello, Breena Harrigan, and Sarah Jablonsky and coached by Head Coach John Diehl and Assistant Coach Louise Williams – hasn’t lost a game in three seasons. They completed the 2024 season, 20-0-1. According to Newsday records, the Patriots’ 63 games without a loss is a Long Island girls soccer record.

“The skillful seniors on this team will have wonderful memories of being part of a stellar team and leave a legacy that, I am confident, their younger counterparts will take good care of in upcoming seasons,” Englebright said.

 

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team fell to Hofstra, 13-12, in double overtime in Hempstead on March 15. Several Seawolves contributed offensively, as five Stony Brook players paced the offense with two points apiece.

After the Pride tallied the game-opening goal, the Seawolves responded with a pair of goals from Richie Dechiaro and Collin Williamson to take a 2-1 lead with 8:45 remaining in the first quarter.

The Stony Brook advantage was short-lived, as Hofstra scored the game’s following three goals to take a 4-2 lead into the second.

The Seawolf attack rattled off two quick goals from Justin Bonacci and Dechiaro in the opening minutes of the second quarter to even things at four. The Pride answered with their lone goal of the second, giving them a 5-4 lead heading into the locker room.

Like the previous quarter, Stony Brook opened the third with two goals, this time from Ray O’Brien and Carson Boyle, evening things at six-all.

After a goal from Hofstra put the Pride back in front, Stony Brook scored four out of the next five goals as the game headed to the fourth with the Seawolves up 10-8.

The Pride scored two quick goals early in the fourth to even things at 10-10 with 11:17 remaining. Both teams then traded two goals each to send the game to overtime with a 12-12 scoreline.

Following a highly contested first overtime, Hofstra’s John Madsen buried the sudden-death winner with 1:59 to play in double overtime.

Up next, the team will stay on the road, traveling to Maryland to take on Towson on March 22 at noon.

 

The Smithtown Central School District community came together on March 5 to honor the memory of beloved student, Valerie Kratochvil, who passed away in 2024.

Students and faculty faced off in a “Volley For Val” volleyball tournament at Smithtown High School East, featuring former field hockey and track teammates of Valerie, as well as athletes from Smithtown High School West. 

Valerie was involved in field hockey, track, the club Athletes Helping Athletes and was an All-County musician.  

The Smithtown High School East Chamber Choir started the event with a beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” East student Maggie Worontzoff addressed those in attendance. “Let’s play today with the same passion and spirit that Valerie had, and let’s carry her spirit with us always,” she said.

A raffle was held with all proceeds benefitting the Kratochvil family.