Bridgehampton/Ross baseball falls in state semifinals
Bridgehampton pitcher Kai Alversa and catcher Tyler Fitzgerald recover after a wild pitch resulted in Duanesburg senior Ayden Fall rounding out the bases in the Class D New York State Semi-Final Game on June 12, 2026, at Union Endicott High School. Credit: Matthew Crisafulli
ENDICOTT — Sadness is unavoidable for most after a season-ending loss. Despite some tears, the Bridgehampton/Ross baseball team is returning home with some invaluable experience, and a renewed hope for what is to come.
In just their fifth year as a program, the Killer Bees got deeper than they ever have. Ultimately, their run came to an end in the state Class D semifinals, as they lost to Duanesburg (Section II), 13-0, at Union-Endicott High School on Friday afternoon.
Duanesburg (16-4) scored in the top half of each of the first four innings and held Bridgehampton/Ross (6-11) to just two hits in five innings, invoking the mercy rule. Eagles shortstop Logan Kapusta blew the game open with a three-run double into the left-centerfield gap in the third inning, sparking a six-spot to take a 10-0 lead. Kapusta finished 3-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases, three RBIs and three runs.
Duanesburg will face Fillmore (Section V) for the state Class D championship at Binghamton University at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“All the credit to them,” Killer Bees coach Lou Liberatore said. “What a great experience for our guys . . . We knew with our youth, there’d be ups and downs. We just wanted them to stay the course, and they did. They believed in themselves.”
Bridgehampton/Ross turned its 2026 from a lost season to a memorable one. After starting the season 5-1, it lost nine games in a row to end the regular season at 5-10. However, it automatically advanced to the state tournament, as it is the only Class D team on Long Island.
The Killer Bees earned their first victory in a state tournament game in program history last Saturday: an 11-1 win in the regional finals over Eldred (Section IX). The win took them to the state’s final four, where their nine returning players gained some valuable experience.
One returning player is Ross seventh grader Caelan Ferguson, who pulled a single to leftfield in the fifth inning. Bridgehampton senior Tyler Fitzgerald had the team’s first hit — a single to centerfield in the second.
“It was really fun to be here with the team,” Ferguson said. “Congrats to Duanesburg for playing their game today, but we had a long journey to come out here, and I loved it. I’m really proud to be with my teammates and excited to come back next year and do it all again.”
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
