Port Jefferson baseball's season halted by Chester in state regional final
Port Jefferson pitcher Nathaniel Mullen delivers a pitch against Pierson in the Suffolk Class C finals, Friday, May 27, 2022 at Port Jefferson. Credit: George A Faella
Port Jefferson’s incredible season came to an end Saturday afternoon at Cantine Field in Saugerties.
The Royals fell to Chester of Section IX, 3-0, in the NYSPHSAA Class C southeast regional baseball final.
The loss came less than 24 hours after Port Jefferson (20-5) won its first Long Island championship since 2008.
“It sounds so cliche, but these memories are what high school sports are all about,” coach Jesse Rosen said. “Taking a three-hour bus ride less than 12 hours after the LIC is something all of us will remember forever.”
Errors plagued Port Jefferson, as the three runs Natti Mullen allowed in 5 2/3 innings were all unearned and he found himself on the losing side of a pitchers’ duel.
An error on a pickoff attempt allowed James Musco to advance to third before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Andre Jenkins in the third inning. With two outs, an error allowed another run to score.
Chester scored its third run on another error in the sixth inning.
Chester’s Jake Laura kept the Royals’ bats quiet, pitching a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts. Kyle Erickson’s leadoff single in the fourth inning was Port Jefferson’s only hit of the day.
Most of the Royals will return next year, as Luke Filippi and Abigail Rolfe are the only graduating seniors.
“We’re unbelievably proud of our team,” Rosen said. “All year they’ve had the desire to be part of something bigger and it’s something that they genuinely bought into.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
