Oceanside hands Massapequa its first baseball loss of season

Massapequa arrived at Oceanside High School on Monday sporting an undefeated record. The Chiefs ended the Sailors’ season last spring, sweeping them in the Nassau AA semifinals.

“People told us to get back at them and just fight,” Oceanside’s Chris Siklas said. “And I think that’s what we did today.”

After a long offseason, the Sailors were motivated to deliver the Chiefs their first blemish, which they did with a 9-7 win in Nassau AA-I baseball.

“Not only that, it goes back to last season when they knocked us out of the playoffs,” said Jared Campo, who went 3-for-3 with two runs. “We really wanted revenge and we came out swinging.”

And swing they did. After Massapequa (9-1) scored first on Luke O’Mahony’s single to drive in Andrew Primm in the first inning, Oceanside responded with a three-run third inning followed by a five-run fourth.

“I didn’t sleep that much to be honest,” Dylan Judd said. “I was just waiting to get out here. I don’t remember the last time we beat them at home like this so it just felt good to get out here and play baseball.”

Austin Vlahakis’ single to drive in Leo Alvarez gave the Oceanside second baseman the first of his three RBIs and tied the score at one in the third. Judd followed a batter later with a two-run single to score Campo and Vlahakis.

SEE PHOTOSMassapequa vs. Oceanside baseball

“We’ve been waiting for this moment all offseason,” Judd said. “Working hard to play them again.”

Oceanside (8-1-1) broke the game open in the fourth, highlighted by Siklas’ two-run double to drive in Judd and Jake Lazzaro in a five-run frame.

“It just felt good,” Siklas said. “I wanted to see the first fastball I got and I just put a nice hack on it.”

But Massapequa wasn’t quite ready to fall easily for its first loss.

Oceanside’s T.J. Thorne tossed six strong innings, allowing six hits and three walks with three strikeouts before being removed after Primm and Chris Wasson reached base to start the seventh.

O’Mahony and Phil Cottone each had RBI singles later in the inning to make the score 9-5. Massapequa scored two more runs on an error before Oceanside coach Mike Postillo brought in another reliever, Ryan Powers, who recorded the one-out save with runners on first and second.

“He’s fearless,” Postillo said. “He knows what he can do and he throws the pitches that he wants to throw and regardless of the situation, he doesn’t back down.”