Kyle McGowin of Pierson will be the key cog to the team's pitching staff in 2010.

Valley Stream - In a perfect world, in their dreams perhaps, the Pierson baseball team would have kept on playing until there were no more games on the schedule, having won every title there was to win. That quest, which began in the winter, continued through early spring and into June, came to a halt on Monday all too soon.

From the start of the Long Island Class C title game, the Baymen bats were on, Jake Robinson starting the game with a double and his side never letting up. A six-run first inning was just the start of an impressive showing from Oyster Bay, which rolled to a 10-1 victory at Valley Stream Volunteer Firemen Memorial Field. On Wednesday, the Baymen will face four-time defending Section I champion Keio, which toppled Webutuck on Monday and is looking to repeat as Class C state titlists.

"I respect them because they put themselves in position to win or to lose," Head Coach Sean Crowley said. "They put on a uniform, and in a high school setting, they're taking a chance. I really respect them for that. They were always there, all the time, from early March to early June. They had a good team experience, they put a banner on the wall for a county class title, and through the seniors' leadership, they hung together through the thick and thin."

Oyster Bay came out of the gates on a roll with Robinson setting the Whalers down in order and then doubling deep to left to lead off the bottom of the first. The next three hitters reached with a single, hit batsman and an error, and they call came around to score. Before the inning was over, the Baymen had sent 11 batters to the plate against starter Joe Mascali, scoring six runs and stranding two runners in scoring position.

"They're a good team," Mascali said. "They're tough. [The loss] is tough to deal with but it happens."

Whalers second baseman Gavin Kudlak corrals the throw from home but it's too late to get the Oyster Bay baserunner.

The Nassau champs added to their lead with an Alex LoRusso RBI single in the second, and chased Mascali from the game in the third with another pair of runs in the third, although only four of Mascali's eight charged runs were earned.

"Joe's been pitching a lot of innings through the year and he's always been a strong starter for us," Crowley said. "That's why he got the start today. He just didn't get the defensive support in the first inning."

Pierson (15-10) struck back in the top of the second but it turned out to be its only dent in the Bayman lead. Kyle McGowin led off with a walk and scurried to third thanks to a Joe Mascali double. Gavin Kudlak broke the ice for the Whalers by rapping a grounder to shortstop Matt Capozzo, who took the out at first in exchange for Pierson's first run. Mascali was stranded at third.

Robinson tantalized the Pierson bats throughout, retiring nine straight hitters and 17 of the final 18 following the Mascali double. Of the 21 outs he recorded, just five came via strikeout but just two left the infield, both flyouts to left field by McGowin and Joe Dowling.

"We did start playing baseball into the middle of the game but never enough to cause a threat," Crowley said.

Pierson's Kyle McGowin walks back to the dugout while the entire Oyster Bay team celebrates its 10-1 win in the Long Island title game.

The Whalers will try to repeat as Suffolk County Class C champions next spring but will be forced to make the attempt without three seniors from this year's squad - Casey Crowley, Joe Mascali and Ryan Miller. When Pierson swept Port Jefferson to win the county title, Coach Crowley credited his seniors' leadership for bringing home the school's first such championship since 2006. The team's manager was especially emotional when talking about his eldest son, who will attend Florida State in the fall.

"It's difficult for me," Crowley said. "If anybody has ever seen him play, you can just tell that he loves baseball."