Wheatley baseball battles but comes up short in Class B regional final
Wheatley shortstop Ryan Silva, left, backs up second baseman Connor Quinn as he scoops up the ball during their state Class B baseball regional final against Spackenkill on Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Saugerties. Credit: Cindy Schultz
SAUGERTIES — For a program that has not made it this far in eight years, Wheatley baseball is hoping this will be the bar moving forward.
Wheatley’s 2024 campaign finally came to an end in the New York State Class B Southeast Regional Final on Saturday at Cantine Field with an 8-3 loss to Spackenkill — a high school from Poughkeepsie. The loss saw Wheatley (19-6) go the first five innings without a hit before breaking up the shutout with a three-spot in the top of the sixth inning. However, by that point, the damage had already been done.
Spackenkill (18-4) scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning and tacked on another three in the fourth to go up 8-0. Spackenkill first baseman Bryan Hoyt broke the ice with a two-run double into the left-center field gap and later scored on an RBI single from left fielder Noah Bogdan. Later in the day, Hoyt tripled home a run to the centerfield wall. He finished the day with three RBIs and two runs scored.
On the mound for the victors, Dan Collins threw five no-hit innings before being pulled in the sixth after walking the first two batters. With two men on and only one out, Wheatley rightfielder Anthony Saulino ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to score second baseman Connor Quinn, breaking up both the no-hitter and the shutout. Catcher Noah Fiorillo followed by poking a two-run single into left-center field.
After the game, Wheatley coach David Burke commended his players for their collective performance from this season.
“I think today was just a perfect example of how guys continue to battle,” Burke said. “We’re behind, but we don’t give up. There’s a lot of fight in these guys and I’m really proud of the way they get after it every day in practice. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Though Wheatley only mustered up two hits, it put together some good at-bats and got guys on base. Paulino added a hit-by-pitch to his RBI double. Leftfielder Cooper Gold and Quinn both drew two walks. Shortstop Ryan Silva walked once and was hit by a pitch. Andrew Asaro walked and scored
Despite the disappointing end to the run, Burke is optimistic about his youthful team’s future.
“We have a pretty young team, so I’m looking forward to getting back at it in the fall,” Burke said. “That’s the beauty of what this program is in how these guys are always working and looking to get better. We’re fortunate to have a core of guys that are coming back, but it stings for the seniors who played their last game.
“This senior class is going to be missed, but the good thing is, we’ve got a nice little foundation in the program to feed off of and we should be in a pretty good place.”