Huntington Baseball Team Wins League Championship, Ends Drought

HUNTINGTON, NY — The Huntington Blue Devils baseball team on Thursday ended a 56-year drought.

The high school team defeated Lindenhurst by a score of 8-5, winning the league championship for the first time since 1965, the school district posted on Facebook. The team competes in Suffolk League II.

Superintendent Jim Polansky threw out the first pitch in what started a "great day for Huntington," according to the district.

"Many of the players have been dreaming of this day since they first suited up for Huntington as seventh graders," the district wrote. "Their hopes were dashed last spring when the COVID-19 crisis led to the season being cancelled after one week. But they simply wouldn’t be denied."

Left-handed starting pitcher Palmer O’Beirne went five innings for the Blue Devils, striking out four and walking three. He gave up nine hits. Alex Bellissimo recorded the save by securing the final six outs.

With the Blue Devils up 4-3 in the bottom of the third, team captain Chris Segreti blasted a bases-clearing double on a 3-2 count to give Huntington a 7-3 lead. Dylan Schnitzer followed with another long double to score Segreti and put Huntington up 8-3.

The Lindenhurst Bulldogs would not be able to catch up.

The win marked the Blue Devils 10th straight, pushing their overall record to 15-3.

The crowd of about 325 included Principal Brenden Cusack and retired Huntington baseball coach Harry Waller along with a who’s who of current and former students and players, coaches of other Blue Devil teams, teachers, parents and family members, according to the district.

Huntington High School alumni from the Blue Devils’ 1965 league championship team, which advanced to the county finals before dropping a 3-2 decision to Commack, were also in the crowd. They stood behind Polansky as he threw the first pitch.

"For a long time, Huntington baseball games were sleepy affairs with small crowds," the district wrote. "Not so this spring as the school and community has rallied around the Blue Devils, who have thrived in the spotlight."

The Blue Devils are not done just yet, as they aim to prove they are the best in the county.