East Rockaway falls to Southold

Unable to stage sufficient rallies, East Rockaway’s playoff journey ended with a 13-5 loss to Southold in the Long Island Class C baseball title game at SUNY-Old Westbury on June 1.

The Rocks started to chip away at Southold’s 10-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when sophomore shortstop Stefan Cilluffo drove in his team’s first run on a shot to the center-right gap that scored senior Christopher Deptulski. Senior Justin Schmidt and sophomore Dylan Henshaw contributed RBI singles to put the score at 10-3.

Down 11-3 heading into the fifth, East Rockaway loaded the bases with no outs, but Henshaw hit into a double play that produced another run. Senior outfielder Chris Barto scored East Rockaway’s final run from second base on a wild pitch in the sixth.

Schmidt battled hard on the mound after relieving Henshaw in the second inning. He pitched into the seventh inning and kept Southold’s explosive offense scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.

“Justin is one of our main pitchers and came in and did everything he could to try to keep us in the game,” East Rockaway coach James Hickey said.

East Rockaway’s bats were held largely in check by Southold starter Dylan Clausen’s nine strikeouts over 6 ⅓ innings. Southold, which finished the regular season 22-1, atoned for last year’s Long Island title game loss to East Rockaway.

“Southold just played a really good game; they’re a good, solid team,” Hickey said. “Our guys showed a lot of fight and heart, but they just didn’t have enough to get us back into the game.”

Heading into the playoffs, East Rockaway had finished the regular season with double digit wins (10-10) for the second consecutive year. In April, the Rocks strung together five consecutive wins, defeating Malverne (15-5), Friends Academy (10-0, 15-8 and 12-3) and Wheatley (16-9), the eventual Class B county champions.

Five Rocks received individual awards in 2017. Henshaw’s 4-0 record, 3.97 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched, along with his 21 RBIs and 19 runs on the season earned him All-County honors. Senior outfielder Christopher Deptulski, who had 13 RBIs and 20 runs, and Cilluffo, who racked up 16 RBIs and 22 runs, were All-Conference selections. Schmidt and sophomore outfielder Dan Del Valle were named All-League players, with 15 RBIs and 11 runs and 14 RBIs and 24 runs, respectively.

“We had a great group of seniors, just in terms of their character and leadership and for what they’ve given to us over the years and throughout the program,” Hickey said.