Jake Pierre walks it off with his fifth hit of the game ! Final: Titans 4, CT Bombers 3 pic.twitter.com/QmwZvDPBKR
Axcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) September 18, 2017
Jake Pierre stepped up with the bases loaded, having already compiled four hits on the evening; but he was not content.
“I just wanted to win the game for my teammates, trying to go 5-for-5 and do something special for once.”
The Sachem North junior certainly did that, as he blooped a single over the third baseman’s head to send the winning run home and propel the LI Titans to a 4-3 win over the Connecticut Bombers to take first place in the 18U Northeast Elite tournament at Baseball Heaven.
The sweet-swinging lefty had put the Titans up 1-0 in the first inning on an RBI double to score Phil Krapta (Farmingdale 2019). The Titans had the bases loaded, but ran themselves out of the inning with a 1st-to-3rd pick off move that resulted in a double play, and a back-pick to second for the final out. In the third, Pierre added another RBI hit to extend the lead to 2-0.
With the way Nick Ungar (Connetquot 2018) was throwing, it appeared that would be more than enough. The hard-throwing RHP breezed through the first three innings, but he stumbled in the fourth and allowed an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1.
Colton Reitan (Miller Place 2018) came on in relief for the Titans. He was lighting up the radar gun but struggled with his command. The Bombers took the lead in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice; which should have been an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
They battled back, though, and tied it up in the fifth on an RBI double to the right field corner by Chris DeSousa (Massapequa 2020) to score Krapta but Pierre was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings setting the stage for a walk-off in the ninth.
After a flyout, Matty Tempone (Smithtown East 2019) reached on an error through the shortstop’s legs and the next two batters reached as well loading the bases for Pierre. The rest, as they say, is history.
“I love all these guys to death,” said Pierre. “These are my brothers, so I just wanted to win the game for them.”
The boys will have a quick turnaround with school tomorrow, but Pierre noted it’s always easier waking up early after a walk-off win.
