Huntington Wins Suffolk Baseball Championship

HUNTINGTON, NY — Huntington won its first Suffolk County baseball championship in 61 years as the Blue Devils defeated Bay Shore 7-4 in front of a crowd of more than 500, according to the school district.

Huntington is set to play Garden City for its first-ever Long Island championship at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Kyle Colleluori blasted a mammoth three-run home run in the first inning and pitched seven strong innings to lead his team. When Colleluori, a senior, connected with the belt-high fastball, there was no doubt among the fans and players that the ball would land far beyond the leftfield fence.

Colleluori was also masterful on the mound, throwing 19 first-pitch strikes, walking one and striking out three as he mowed down Bay Shore’s powerful lineup. The teenager pitched out of several jams with near pinpoint control and scattered eight hits in a complete-game victory.

"My stuff was there, and I was able to change speeds and move the ball around and keep Bay Shore’s hitters off-balance," Colleluori said via news release.

Huntington never trailed in the game. Shortstop Chris Segretti went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run. He scored three times, drove in two runs and walked. The senior’s home run was his sixth this spring, which ties him for the Suffolk lead.

The Blue Devils had 14 hits in the game, including three by Jaden Italiano and two each by Palmer O’Beirne and Dylan Schnitzer. Aidan Bender, Alex Gonzalez and Alex Bellissimo also had hits in the game.

Huntington overcame some base running mistakes by playing good defense and being aggressive at the plate.

When Colleluori recorded the final out, his teammates mobbed him and each other. Manager Billy Harris and assistant Rob Cappas and the rest of the team came charging out of the dugout to join in the celebration.

Huntington Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy presented captains Colleluori and Segreti with the county champion plaque. When the ceremony was over, the Blue Devils turned and applauded the fans that have stuck with them through thick and thin over the years.

Later, the Huntington Fire Department sent four huge pieces of equipment through the Huntington High School parking lot, with horns and sirens blaring as a tribute to the players who had just captured the first Blue Devil county baseball championship since 1960.

Superintendent Jim Polansky and Principal Brenden Cusack along with Huntington School Board members past and present took in the game and were delighted with the outcome.

Huntington’s 17 victories are the most ever by a Blue Devil baseball team. Now the players want just one more, as they turn their attention to Sunday morning’s game and Garden City.