Center Moriches' Dan Gilroy strikes out 11 in three-hit shutout to win Long Island Class B championship
Center Moriches celebrates victory in the Long Island Class B Final against Oyster Bay on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Selden. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Righty Dan Gilroy put the finishing touch on a masterpiece and fired his glove skyward. Gilroy recorded his 11th strikeout for the final out as Center Moriches shut out Oyster Bay, 4-0, to capture the Long Island Class B baseball championship Saturday at the Middle Country Athletic Complex in Selden.
It was Center Moriches' first Long Island title since 2022. The Devils will play Chester in a 1 p.m. state semifinal Friday at Binghamton University.
Gilroy’s three-hit, no-walk gem allowed Center Moriches (20-3) to punch that ticket to the state final four. The New Haven commit knew from the start he had all his best stuff, and it would be a long day for the Oyster Bay offense.
“I had great command and felt like I could throw any pitch in any count,” said Gilroy, who improved to 9-1. “And our defense has been tight all season.”
Center Moriches opened the scoring in the first inning when JT Bonventre singled and Gilroy followed with a two-out single to rightfield. As the outfielders converged on the ball, Bonventre raced from first to third and was then waved home by third base coach Paul Gibson. The speedy Bonventre dove across the plate just before the relay reached home – on a single.
“It’s an all-out hustle play that sets the tone for the game,” Gibson said. “It took a tricky bounce in the outfield, and I thought it was good to take a shot at scoring a run right there. We are a very athletic team, and speed is a big deal.”
Bonventre reached base in all three at bats, scoring two runs.
“We’re all about speed and agility,” Bonventre said. “Coach [Jarad] Vollkommer has us training all offseason, and it definitely paid off.”
Meanwhile, Oyster Bay (19-6) couldn’t solve the overpowering Gilroy. He retired the first 10 batters and took a perfect game into the fourth inning. Miscommunication between first and second base allowed a Chase Lordi short popup to rightfield to fall for a bloop single. The hit ended any thoughts of a perfect game or a no-hitter.
“It’s not us to make that kind of mistake,” Gibson said. “We’re usually very sound on defense. It was a little blip in communication. What I was most proud of was the way Dan responded and shut it down.”
Lordi stole second base to get into scoring position but Gilroy settled back in and retired the next two hitters to end the inning.
“You have to pick up your teammates,” Gilroy said. “No one wants to be responsible for that kind of play. My job there is to make sure that doesn’t change the momentum of the game.”
Center Moriches extended the lead with two runs in the fourth inning. Gilroy slammed a double toward deep leftfield. He scored when Niko Libretti singled. Libretti then stole second and with two outs David Spina lined a 0-and-2 pitch for an RBI single to make it 3-0.
A hustle double for Bonventre to lead off the fifth set up the final run. He hit a liner into right-centerfield and turned a single into a double by beating the outfield throw. With one out, Gilroy lined a shot to centerfield where a diving Dean Cekovic made the catch turning a hit into a sacrifice fly and a 4-0 lead.
“It was an all-around great effort for a team that put in the time and effort,” Gibson said. “They earned this title.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
