Thunderstorms dampen Suffolk baseball games

Heavy thunderstorms rolled through the North Shore of Suffolk County on Friday afternoon, causing the suspension of a Suffolk Class AA baseball playoff game between host Ward Melville and Smithtown East.

No. 1 Ward Melville led No. 9 Smithtown East 1-0 when the game was stopped in the bottom of the second inning. The game will be resumed at noon Saturday in Setauket.

Fourth-seeded Mount Sinai’s Class A elimination game against fifth-seeded Southampton was delayed because of the conditions. With Mount Sinai leading 2-0 in the top of the third, the umpires signaled for a pause in the action. Play was suspended at 4:50 p.m. and resumed at 5:30.

Mount Sinai went on to win, 5-3, as Will Esposito went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Kieran Orlando struck out five and allowed one run, four hits and three walks in six innings to earn the victory.

“I think a delay is frustrating for both teams,” Mount Sinai athletic director Eric Scott Reh said. “Especially for the pitching. These kinds of delays definitely affect all aspects of the game. But it’s the same for both teams.”