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The Southampton Breakers began their HCBL title defense beginning where they left off last season beating the very team that they won their 2021 HCBL championship against in a 6-3 win over the Riverhead Tomcats at Calverton.

Southampton would take an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first from an RBI single by Nathan Brasher (Brown) that scored AJ Hansen (Villanova). The Breakers would add a pair of runs in the second on a sacrifice fly from Luke Fisher (Villanova) and a Riverhead error to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Breakers.

The Tomcats would tie the game in the bottom of the fourth scoring three runs. Nicholas Papageorge (Brookdale CC) drove in a run on an RBI single and Joseph Gisonda (Montclair State) a returning Tomcat tied the score with a two-run single.

The score would remain deadlocked at 3-3 until the top of the eighth inning. Southampton would load the bases with two out when Nate Carminucci (Pace) hit an infield pop-up that blooped in for an RBI single giving the Breakers back the lead.

Southampton would get a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth on RBI’s from Eric Genther (Rhode Island) and Beau Root (Middlebury) to lead 6-3.

Jacob Pedersen (Adelphi) in his third inning of work for the Breakers would retire the Tomcats 1-2-3 to give the Breakers the victory. Pedersen did not allow a hit in his three innings of relief earning the win with six strikeouts and a walk.

Brasher was 3-for-5 in the win for the Breakers with his RBI in the first inning along with a pair of stolen bases. Southampton had six total stolen bases in the game.

Riverhead’s Will Tobin (Pennsylvania) had an impressive relief outing tossing three shutout innings while striking out eight batters and only allowing one hit.

Southampton returns to play on Sunday against the South Shore Clippers at Bridgehampton High School in a doubleheader while Riverhead travels to play the Shelter Island Bucks on Saturday.