Yesterday afternoon, the baseball team rode the dominant arm of Seamus Scanlon and timely hitting in an 8-2 win over Greenport. The win gave the Bears their seventh win of the season, the most for the program since the 1999 squad finished won 12 games during their run to Suffolk County and Long Island Championships.

Scanlon, in one of the finest pitching performances of his three-year career, retired the first 11 batters he faced before yielding a two-out single in the top of the 4th. From there he was nearly perfect until a one-out walk ended his day in the top of the 6th. After Scanlon’s exit, the Porters struck for two runs, but Joe Wozny closed the door in the 7th with three strikeouts peppered around a walk and a hit batsmen. Scanlon finished with seven strikeouts, four looking, as he consistently painted the outside corner.

Scanlon got a lift from his offense which staked him to an early lead and continued to come up with clutch hits in the ensuing innings. Scanlon helped his own effort with a walk to lead off the 1st. Aidan Mega advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt and Ben Tutuska followed with a single down the left field line that plated Scanlon for a 1-0 lead. Tutuska stole second, then advanced to third on an infield single by Emmanuel Ajewole. Ajewole promptly got caught in a pickle, but stayed alive long enough for Greenport to overthrow the second baseman, allowing him to get to second base safely and Tutuska to trot home with a 2-0 lead.

The Bears extended their lead in the bottom of the 3rd when Ajewole stroked a two-out single up the middle to bring home Mega, who led off the inning with a walk. In the 4th, Dan Moreno drilled a one-out single up the middle, scoring Nate Smith who singled, advanced to second on a throwing error, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Then, the Bears broke the game open with a three-run 5th.

Mega again led off the inning with a walk, stole second, and scored on a single into center field by Wozny. Wozny stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Tutuska found a hole on the right side to give the Bears a 6-0 lead. After Tutuska stole the Bears’ third bag of the inning, Ajewole put a charge into a pitch, sending the ball over the left fielder for a run-scoring double.

After the Porters closed to within 7-2, the Bears got one back in the 6th when they staged a two-out rally with a pair of walks from Mega and Wozny. Tutuska was hit by a pitch in the ensuing at bat to load the bases before a wild pitch scored Mega from third.

The Bears travel to Pierson this afternoon in the penultimate game of the regular season.

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