Sayville's Joe Strining, Tyler Brown shut down Wantagh for Long Island Class A championship
Sayville celebrates their win during the Long Island High School baseball Class A final between Sayville and Wantagh on Thursday June 5, 2025 at Middle Country Athletic Complex Credit: Bob Sorensen
Sophomore righthander Joe Strining was unfazed in the early moments of Sayville’s 1-0 win over Wantagh in Thursday’s Long Island Class A baseball championship game at the Middle Country Athletic Complex in Selden.
And senior righty Tyler Brown had what might have been his best performance yet when he was needed to seal the deal.
Sayville coach Joe Esposito called Strining’s number after starter Andrew Law, in the opener role, walked the first two batters. Strining escaped the first inning with a groundout and a double play and then pitched the next three innings. He struck out two, walked none and allowed three hits in four scoreless innings to earn the victory.
Brown entered to start the top of the fifth. He pitched three perfect innings and struck out one for the save.
“Joe Strining was unbelievable coming in like that,” Esposito said. “I said to Joe, ‘You’re going to be ready in case it doesn’t work out.’ And Joe said, ‘I got you, Coach.’ And Joe did. Joe kept them off balance, mixing it up. Joe shut them down for four innings. . . . Once we got to Brown, Brown came in lights out, man. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him throw better. Three innings of just lights-out pitching.
“Brownie is our bulldog. Brownie is our guy. Brownie is my stud pitcher, man. He wants the ball when the game’s on the line, and I couldn’t be prouder of a player in my life.”
Shane Meehan’s first-inning sacrifice fly drove in Aidan Devane as Sayville (17-7) earned its first Long Island title since 2019 and second in program history.
Both Sayville pitchers were complimentary of each other.
“That was huge,” Brown said of Strining’s outing. “We needed that. He kept our momentum in the game getting out of that jam in the first inning. That got our momentum going to get that first run.”
Said Strining: “I was very confident. [Brown’s] closed many games for us, and it’s great.”
Christian Danzilo delivered his usual ace-worthy performance for Wantagh (23-5). The senior lefthander struck out four, walked two and allowed only two hits and an earned run in six innings.
“His demeanor is incredible,” Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said. “It doesn’t matter — you wouldn’t know it was a scrimmage or it’s the championship game. He’s just awesome. He gave up a run early. You didn’t know it. He didn’t get discouraged. Then he got 100 batters in a row, and you didn’t know it either. He didn’t get excited.
“He just does his job. He never gets hit. Keeps the same mentality the whole way. He deserves to win.”
Three wins away from its first state title, Sayville will meet Section IX’s Marlboro Central in a regional final tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at MCAC.
“Everyone’s into it,” Brown said. “We’re all into it. We’re all ready to win. We feel like we can go far, and we’re just ready to prove ourselves this year.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
