Port Washington Little League wins state baseball tournament opener, St. James/Smithtown drops defensive battle
Port Washington's Mikey Catuogno, left, celebrates with Drew Theoharis after scoring in the secnd inning of the state baseball Little League tournament on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at the West Nyack Little League complex. Credit: Howard Simmons
In its first matchup of the New York State tournament, the Port Washington 12-and-under Little League baseball team was quick to put on a show. Port Washington defeated New Hartford, 11-0, in the first round of pool play on Saturday at Cesca Field in West Nyack.
After a two-run first inning and a five-run second, Ethan Spitalnik hit a three-run home run over the centerfield fence that extended Port Washington’s lead to 10-0. Spitalnik went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Drew Theoharis, Mikey Catuogno and Carlo Cafferata combined to allow two hits and strike out four in four innings. The game ended after the fourth inning because of the 10-run rule.
Port Washington (1-0) will play Maine-Endwell (1-0) at 4 p.m. Sunday at Cesca Field. Manager Dave Gabriel said the goal is to keep the momentum rolling.
“We always want to bring our good pitching and good defense because that’s the identity of this team,” he said. “If we can dictate the momentum, we can dictate the game, and that keeps the boys feeling good about their energy.”
The day was not so exciting for reigning state champion St. James/ Smithtown, which lost to Twin Town, 1-0, later in the afternoon.
The game was a defensive showcase, with the only run scoring in the fifth inning on a grounder to first.
Matthew Viggiani had St. James/ Smithtown’s first hit, a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth, but was stranded at third.
Andrew Barbato, Grayson Dick and Cayden Bosinius combined for six strikeouts — five belonging to Barbato — and four hits allowed.
The state tournament features two four-team pools. After three rounds of pool play, the top two teams in each pool advance to the semifinals.
St. James/Smithtown (0-1) will play Mid Island at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cesca Field.
Manager Tom Viggiani said efficient pitching and an athletic defense are key elements for the team.
“That’s the reason we kept them to a 1-0 game,” he said. “Our pitching was solid, [Barbato] went four scoreless innings, so it’s hats off to our guys and our defense. If we carry that into [Sunday] and we get a little bit more aggressive with our at-bats, a little bit more aggressive with some baserunning, I don’t think we’ll have a hard time with [Sunday’s] game.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
Most Popular
Top Stories
