Section 9 baseball champion Marlboro met its match against a solid pitcher and the elements.
Chris Spatenga held the Dukes to just two hits through six innings to lead Sayville to a 5-0 win in a state Class A regional final at Eastport-South Manor High School on Saturday evening. Tyler Brown walked one and fanned two (earning his 100th strikeout) to close the contest.
Shane Meehan’s two-run line-drive home run to left field capped a three-run third inning for the Golden Flashes (14-9) for a 4-0 lead on Marlboro starter Liam Correa.
No. 2 batter Kyle Messina scored three times, the last tally coming in the fifth, most likely the result of the rainy weather that followed Meehan’s blast, but not resulting in any delays. Messina reached on an infield error, stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Tommy Benfer.
In the Sayville first, Messina ripped a one-out triple to right-center and scored when Andrew Law singled under the glove of diving shortstop Matt Ciarimboli. Aidan Devane ripped a single up the middle to lead off the third, took third on Messina’s double that rolled to the wall in left and scored on an infield groundout by Law. Meehan took the next Correa pitch over the wall.
Marlboro’s bats could not find the big hit, despite seven outs recorded by Sayville outfielders. The Dukes (10-9) stranded two runners in the first inning, one in the second and two in the sixth while facing Spatenga, who posted five strikeouts.
Tyson Fernandez and Benfer collected the lone Marlboro singles (Ciarimboli’s rip off Spatenga’s glove in the sixth was ruled an error).
Correa gave up six hits, fanned three and induced six infield groundouts over five innings. Benfer fanned two in two innings of relief.
This was the fourth consecutive time (2018, 2019, 2024) has dropped a state quarterfinal playoff. The Dukes last made a state semifinal in 2016, eventually winning the Class B title.
Sayville – the Suffolk County champs from Section 11 – will face Section 4 champ Maine-Endwell in a June 13 semifinal at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton. Mendon of Section 5 will play in the ensuing semifinal against the winner of a June 8 quarterfinal between Rye of Section 1 and La Salle Institute of Section 2.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
Marlboro state playoff finishes this century
2025 (Class A) – Bowed in quarterfinals to Sayville 5-0
2024 (A) – Bowed in quarterfinals to Maine-Endwell 5-3
2019 (B) – Bowed in quarterfinals to Center Moriches 7-1
2018 (B) – Bowed in quarterfinals to Center Moriches 5-1
2016 (B) – Won final vs. Fredonia 8-7
2010 (B) – Bowed in first round to John F. Kennedy 9-5
2008 (B) – Bowed in quarterfinals to John F. Kennedy 7-6
2003 (B) – Bowed in final to Carle Place 3-2
2002 (B) – Bowed in first round to Lakeland 5-2
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Marlboro baseball blanked by Sayville in state Class A quarterfinal