Sayville hands Bayport-Blue Point first loss
Sayville's Ryan Leniec (21), Tyler Sebor (8) and Trey Tellier (29) celebrate Leniec’s home run in the fourth inning during a Suffolk baseball game against Bayport-Blue Point on Monday at Sayville. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The first sound was something between a hard exhale and a grunt as Sayville righthander Ryan Karman released the pitch. Next was the ‘ping’ from the bat of Bayport-Blue Point’s Liam Stemmler. And, finally, there was smack of the ball in the pocket of catcher Tyler Sebor’s mitt.
These three dulcet tones and sigh of relief that followed were the final cadence of Sayville’s 5-3 Suffolk VIII victory over the visiting rival Phantoms on Monday afternoon. The final pitch of Karman’s complete game was tipped into Sebor’s glove for strike three, stranding the tying runs in scoring position and making the Golden Flashes the first team to put a dent in what had been Bayport-Blue Point’s perfect season.
In a battle featuring program aces Karman and BBP’s Brady Clark, the most memorable moment though belonged to the Golden Flashes’ Ryan Leniec in the bottom of the fourth. He got the green light on a 3-and-0 count and drove a Clark fastball into the trees beyond the fence 300 feet down the left field line.
In the top of the frame, the Phantoms even the score 2-2 on Jack McDonald’s two-run single in the top of the fourth, Mike Milo laced a run -scoring single to take back the lost momentum just ahead of the Leniec blast.
“[Clark] got the better of me in my first two at-bats,” said Leniec, who had a weak pop-up and a ground out before the homer. “I was looking for a fastball in the strike zone and I took it out.”
“I believe in my guys,” Sayville coach Joe Esposito said of giving the green light. “He was really due for a big hit.”
Milo explained the Flashes; have a confident offense, but said “responding after losing a lead says something.”
Karman allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He did not pitch well in his first two outings this season, corrected a mechanic in his delivery and now has two good outings in a row.
The Phantom defense made four errors behind Clark and the righthander ended up allowing three earned runs on seven hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
In the BBP seventh, an error and a Ryan Costa single put runners on the corners with one out before Quinn Hill’s run-scoring single made it 5-3. When the hit was misplayed it put two runners in scoring position. Karman coaxed a Guy Kiesel pop out and then intentionally walked Clark to loaded the bases and bring Stemmler to bat.
“We feel like we’ve been hearing about Bayport and how good they are and how they’re 8-0, but we feel we’re pretty good too,” Esposito said. “Maybe this will be their year – this was one game – but it does feel nice when you beat them and phenomenal pitcher like Clark.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
