[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeBI8BIyr44]
Nobody thought the battle for Suffolk County supremacy on the diamond would be settled in two games. Not the fans and definitely not the players on Ward Melville–who hadn’t lost a game at home all year.
No. 2 Ward Melville defeated top-seeded Connetquot in a classic game on a walk-off solo shot by Dom Lamonica–who now has two walk-off homers this postseason.
“I was ready for the first fastball he was going to give me,” said Lamonica. “I swung as hard as I could and it felt great. I like being in the big situation and I like capitalizing on it,” he added.
The walk-off forces a deciding game three at Connetquot tomorrow and the Patriots are looking forward to the challenge against 11-game winner Travis Bruinsma.
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| Photo Credit: Vinny Messana |
Earlier in this game it appeared Ward Melville would cruise to the victory. Troy Davern got them on the board with a home run down the left field line to lead off the second inning.
In the following inning, starting pitcher Joe Flynn helped himself with a monster solo home run to an even deeper part of left field to add to the lead and make it 2-0.
Flynn was pitching very well. He danced around a few early jams but kept the Thunderbirds high-powered offense off the board to that point.
In the bottom of the fourth, Nick Vitale hit a single to right field and he came around to score on a single down the right field line by Sean Adams. It would’ve been a double but he slipped around first base and had to hold up.
Starter John Hengge eluded further damage and stranded runners on first and third.
In the top of the fifth, Flynn hit the leadoff batter. After a strikeout, Marc Wangenstein hit a sharp one-hopper that caromed off Flynn’s face and he went to the ground in pain. He shook it right off and struck out the ensuing batter and induced Brandon Morse to hit a popup to the first baseman.
Flynn appeared to hit his stride when he threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th on only seven pitches with two strikeouts.
With the Patriots three outs away from victory he went back on the mound in the seventh inning looking to close the deal. After striking out the first batter on three pitches, the ninth place hitter, Kyle Bannon, smacked a home run to left center field to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Before the Connetquot dugout had time to settle down, lead off man Marc Wangenstein crushed a home run two pitches later to right center field to tie the game up and shock the home nine and the entire Ward Melville faithful.
“I give them credit for those two home runs,” said Flynn. “Especially Wangenstein who hit it to the deepest part of the park on what I thought was a good pitch,” he said.
He struck out two of the following three batters to end the frame and finish with 14 strikeouts–a new school record.
“I knew I could be getting up in the seventh to possibly win it,” he said.
It didn’t even get that fair.
After Brandon Lee attempted a bunt that hit him for the first out of the inning, “Mr. Clutch” came through and did what he does.
He crushed a mammoth home run to left field to send the fans into a frenzy and send the home crowd home happy.
The deciding game will be played tomorrow. Connetquot won the title in 2012 and Ward Melville won in 2013. The winner will face MacArthur in the Long Island Championship.
