Michael Hejmej
Put me in, Coach: Riverhead Little League president on resuscitating classic program
Years ago, little league was all the rage: kids filled the ball fields, parents filled the stands, it was all part of the community experience. But today, little leagues all across the east end are struggling with registration numbers.
Riverhead Little League is among the more successful programs and if you were to thank one person it would most certainly be current president Tony Sammartano.
Softball: Waves muscle past Smithtown East, 9-2
Coach Bob Fox said it best: “You can’t avoid us, we hit one through nine in the lineup, all of our girls can really hit.”
The Blue Waves (8-3 League IV) played a sound all-around game winning 9-2.
Crohan fans 9, scores winning run in Waves 1-0 walk-off win over N. Babylon
The score was locked at 0-0 when Riverhead's Matt Crohan stepped up to the plate to start the bottom of the 7th inning. Representatives from the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and New York Yankees witnessed seven strong innings from Crohan though his fifth win of the season was still on the line.
Softball: Falisi, Graziano power Riverhead to 6-2 win over Bellport
Blue Waves football players sporting new championship rings, thanks to community donors
Boys LAX: Waves’ six-game win streak ends with 7-5 loss to Sachem East
“We were Riverheaded,” said head coach Victor Guadagnino following the Blue Waves 7-5 Division I loss at Sachem East Wednesday afternoon.
“We just got outworked,” said Guadagnino. “That’s what we do, we usually outwork everybody and today we didn’t.”
Baseball: Mattituck takes series opener from McGann-Mercy, 12-2
Tuesday afternoon was a day to forget for McGann-Mercy's baseball team, which dropped its League VIII series opener with Mattituck 12-2.
Mattituck (7-3 League VIII, 7-4 overall) got a great start from Cameron Burt who hurled a complete game, striking out 10 batters, while keeping his pitch count under 100 pitches. His fastball was popping the catcher’s mitt the entire game.
Blue Waves soccer star’s dream come true: senior Ashley Drozd moves on to D-I UConn Huskies
“When I was younger, soccer to me was just a way to have fun,” said Riverhead’s soccer star Ashley Drozd. “It was my way to get away. But over time, it became more of a passion than a hobby.”
Drozd, a senior, has committed to play Division I soccer as a forward at the University of Connecticut. To play for UConn was a “dream” for Drozd — a dream that unexpectedly collided with reality.
Boys LAX: Waves notch fifth straight win
Riverhead shuts down Copiague, 12-0
Riverhead (4-1) beat Copiague Tuesday afternoon 12-0 in a game that was halted in the 6th inning as the umpires implemented the 12-run mercy rule. The win made it three straight victories for the Blue Waves and it could not have been done with any more elegance. From the pre-game warmups to the final pitch, the Blue Waves’ focus never wavered.
