By Bill Landon
Having survived a must-win game the day before, Shoreham-Wading River (No. 3) lived to face Sayville (No. 6) at home Sunday, May 19, in a Suffolk Class A playoff match.
Sayville banked two runs in the opening inning, but the Wildcats answered when Kyle Stella drove in Christian Cox to get on the scoreboard. Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Daniel Laieta homered in the bottom of the second driving in to put his team ahead 3-2, a lead that would be short-lived.
Sayville leveled the game in the top of the 3rd but the Wildcats fell behind in the top of the 5th when Sayville drove in two more runs to make it 5-3. Sayville extended the lead to five in the top of the 6th at 8-3.
Shoreham-Wading River with three outs left, with their season on the brink, rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning plating three runners but Sayville ended the Wildcats season winning the game 8-6.
The Wildcats concluded their 2024 campaign with an impressive 17-5 record.
