Mike Smith is our @BsbLifestyle101 Player of the Game after his walk-off two-run double to give Shoreham-Wading River the 6-5 win pic.twitter.com/iUAVJOMhj8
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 23, 2019
What started out as the Aidan Crowley Watch Party turned into a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Shoreham-Wading River on a two-run walk-off double by Mike Smith in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat rival Miller Place, 6-5.
Several Division-I coaches were on hand to watch the talk of Long Island baseball attempt to fire his fourth consecutive no-hitter. The drama quickly came to an end when Gavin McAlonie (more on him later) lined a clean single up the middle which was also the first hit he had allowed in 25 innings. That turned into the first run he allowed all season when Tom Nealis scored him with an RBI single up the middle.
The best drama was still ahead, though.
DJ Brown got Shoreham on the board right away with an opposite home run to right field to tie the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the second, Everett Wehr and Jared Sciarrino drew walks and Crowley’s first of two RBI hits on the day scored Wehr to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead, but Sciarrino was nailed at the plate.
Miller Place answered right back in the third. McAlonie led off with a single, moved to second on a ground out, moved to third on an error and came home when the throw on a stolen base attempt went into center field.
Walk-Off double by Mike Smith and Shoreham-Wading River wins 6-5 to stay undefeated pic.twitter.com/b2fJOl64lT
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 23, 2019
The game stayed tied into the third, when Crowley’s second RBI single scored Wehr, who reached on a dropped third strike, but in the top of the fifth Miller Place mounted another rally.
Consecutive doubles by Eddie Whitlow and McAlonie tied the game at 3-3, an error scored him and an infield single by Nolan White extended the lead to 5-3.
Miller Place’s starter, Tom Nealis, was impressive. The 6’5″ RHP used an 86-87 MPH fastball and sharp 78 MPH curve to nine strikeouts, but some command issues in the fifth allowed SWR to get back into the game. He hit Mike Smith to load the bases and walked Everett Wehr to bring the score to 5-4.
Gavin McAlonie came on in relief and fired a scoreless sixth inning and SWR’s backs were against the wall down to their final three outs.
Blake Osness pitched a scoreless top of the seventh for the Wildcats to give the offense a chance to come back and that’s exactly what they did.
Consecutive walks to DJ Brown and Peter Minneci put Nick Bettenhauser in an obvious bunt situation, which he executed to get the runners in scoring position to set the stage for Smith who laced the game-winner to right center field to complete the comeback and improve SWR’s record to 8-0 on the season.
Miller Place drops to 7-2 on the season, these two teams will be back in action tomorrow at 10am at Miller Place.
