By Trevor Dugan
Jack Lankowicz records the last five outs for Sayville, ending the game with a double play to earn the defending champs their first victory of 2026
FINAL: Sayville 9 – Kings Park 1
Shane Meehan 3-4 HR 3 RBI
Aidan Devane 3-4 3 R pic.twitter.com/JpZblx4uxG— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 27, 2026
The defending Class A Long Island Champion Sayville Golden Flashes opened their 2026 season with a 9-1 victory over Kings Park and UConn commit SP Everett Zarzicki.
In the first game of the year for both teams, Sayville sent out RHP Grady Valenti to start on the mound opposite Kings Park’s DI bound Zarzicki.
After a groundout to third to begin the game, Kings Park SS Kyle Nustad launched a home run over the center field wall for the game’s first run. At first, it appeared as if the ball had landed short and bounced over the fence, but after a conference between umpires it was determined that Nustad went yard. Valenti escaped the first without any further damage, but the Kingsmen took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first.
Following Nustad’s solo shot, the Golden Flashes picked up their pitcher in the bottom of the first. SS Aidan Devane got things started with a one out single, then advanced to second on a chopper back to Zarzicki. With two out in the frame, second baseman Brody Tellier strode to the plate and blasted a two-run home run to cap off an eventful first inning and give Sayville a 2-1 lead.
Sayville catcher Shane Meehan showed off the arm that earned him a scholarship to Stony Brook University in the top of the second. Kings Park put two runners on after a walk and HBP to begin the inning, but Meehan caught the runner on second sleeping and picked him off from behind the plate for the first out of the frame. After a flyout to center, Meehan finished the top of the second by catching a runner attempting to steal second. Neither play was particularly close.
Meehan is Sayville’s team captain in 2026. A member of last year’s LIC winning team, he is described by coaches as “a leader, great defender, and power bat.”
After a tumultuous first inning, Kings Park SP Zarzicki settled in for a scoreless bottom of the second, striking out his first batter of the game and ending the inning by forcing a flyout to deep CF.
Valenti answered with a scoreless frame of his own in the top of the third, and got some help from his defense. Sayville’s SP began the third with a strikeout, then forced a groundout to SS for the second out. The clean third inning was capped off by a spectacular diving play by second baseman Tellier, ranging to his right and laying out to knock down a line drive before picking it up with his bare hand and delivering a spinning throw to first, right on target.
Sayville continued flexing their power in the bottom of the third. Zarzicki began the inning with his second strikeout, then allowed another one out single to Devane. Next to the plate was the three hitter Meehan, who sent a no-doubter over the right field wall to stretch the Sayville lead to 4-1. The Golden Flashes would add one more in the third when Brody Tellier reached on an error and came around to score on an RBI single by Nate Lewis, making it 5-1 Sayville after three.
Following Sayville’s big third inning, Valenti went out and delivered a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, striking out the leadoff man then forcing a groundout and popout. Zarzicki, for the second time on Friday, followed a rough inning with a scoreless one, striking out two batters in the bottom of the fourth and keeping the score at 5-1.
Sayville LF Aidan Merritt began the fifth inning in fantastic fashion, running to his right and diving for a catch worthy of the SportsCenter top 10. As the spectators settled down, Valenti continued his dominant performance, allowing one baserunner on a BB but no runs, preserving Sayville’s 5-1 lead.
The Golden Flashes extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of miscues by Kings Park. SS Devane led the inning off with an infield single, his third hit of the day. He was moved to third base on a single by Meehan, then came around to score on an errant throw by the Kings Park catcher as Meehan attempted to steal second. Meehan would come around to score Sayville’s second run of the inning on a passed ball, extending their lead to 7-1.
Valenti would finish his stellar outing for Sayville in the top of the sixth with a strikeout of opposing SP Zarzicki for the first out of the frame. He was replaced by Jack Lankowicz, who retired the last two batters of the inning via groundout.
Sayville kept their foot on the gas until the very end, striking for two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Once again Meehan knocked in Devane, marking the shortstop’s third run scored and catcher’s third run driven in. Lankowicz came back out for the top of the seventh and worked around a leadoff single to end the game on a 6-4-3 double play and secure a 9-1 victory for Sayville in their first game of the year.
This year’s Sayville squad appears as strong as ever, and ready to defend their Long Island Championship. Speaking to Axcess postgame, the star of Friday’s game Shane Meehan said the goal for 2026 is to “make it farther than we did last year, get back to the Long Island Championship, and take it one step at a time.”