Smithtown East baseball hurlers Lucas Hubner, Liam Gaine and Ryan Mitchell help shut out Half Hollow Hills East

An already scary Smithtown East pitching staff just got a whole lot deeper.

On Tuesday evening in Dix Hills, Smithtown East baseball used three pitchers to shut out host Half Hollow Hills East for the second day in a row and win, 13-0. The game marked the season debut for sophomore pitcher Lucas Hubner, who started on the mound for Smithtown East (9-2) and flourished.

Hubner — the team’s hardest thrower — threw 48 pitches over three scoreless innings, allowing just a hit, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out five. He missed the first half of the season with a shoulder impingement, forcing him to stop throwing for four weeks. During that time, he had physical therapy three times a week.

The flamethrower was excited to be back on the field with his ballclub. “It felt really good to be back out there,” Hubner said. “I felt great and my arm felt good. Everything felt great.”

There were some moments of rust from Hubner, as he sailed several pitches to the backstop. However, he frequently followed these wild misses with quality pitches.

“I just have to tell myself to slow down and think about my mechanics and realize what I’m doing wrong out there,” Hubner said.

After his three scoreless, senior pitcher Liam Gaine took over and continued Smithtown East’s scoreless streak. Gaine tossed three hitless innings, striking out seven and walking one on 48 pitches to earn the win in relief.

Gaine had been Smithtown East’s number two starter, but he shifted to the bullpen with Hubner’s return. However, Gaine is not concerned with his role or label. He just wants to pitch.

“I’m just staying locked in,” Gaine said. “I just want to be out there. Anything that can get me on the field, I’m willing to do it. It worked today.”

In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Ryan Mitchell struck out the side in order to secure the shutout just one day after senior Sean Fanning pitched a complete-game shutout.

On the receiving end of the dominant pitching has been senior catcher Michael DeRosa, who also had a big day at the plate on Tuesday. DeRosa went 3-for-4 with a pair of opposite-field doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. He also got the scoring started in the top of the first inning when he laid down a perfect bunt that led to a run-scoring throwing error.

DeRosa credited his big game to his mindset while hitting.

“I was just looking for the first fastball,” DeRosa said. “When I get into deep counts, that’s when I find myself falling behind, so I went up there looking for the first fastball. It worked out well today.”

With Smithtown East already leading Suffolk III by multiple games and now adding a luxury to its rotation, DeRosa feels his squad can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

“I know that no matter the day, our team is going to come to play,” DeRosa said. “No matter who’s hitting or pitching that day, we’re going to come to play and we’re going to be a tough team to beat. We’ve just got to keep our foot on the gas. We’ve got a good team, and we’re looking to make a run this year, so look out.”

Junior Nate Greene struck out six over three innings pitched in relief for Half Hollow Hills East (5-5).