Tied at three-a-piece in the bottom of the sixth, Anthony Pericolosi smacked a inside the park home run to secure the win for Next Level Baseball with a final score of 5-3 over the Hitter’s Club Hawkeyes. He is your Axcess Baseball Player of the Game. pic.twitter.com/G4K8XiejeY
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 25, 2019
by Lou Accumanno
Being tied at three-a-piece ever since the bottom of the third; Next Level Baseball was victorious against the Hitter’s Club Hawkeyes with the final score 5-3.
Teddy Brennan was on the mound for Next Level to open the game. His curveball was unmatched in the first as he struck out the first three batters.
Liam Martin had the ball for the Hawkeyes and had issues to start out as Next Level jumped to a quick 1-0 lead. Eric Madenburg singled far down the first baseline to send Jack Reardon home.
At the top of the second, Brennan was put in a jam as he walked his first three batters making the bases loaded. Brian Kata of the Hawkeyes tripled to send home all three runners putting them up 3-1. Brennan proceeded to pitch on the mound and got out of the jam allowing no other runners to score.
In the bottom of the third, Martin got himself into more trouble as he walked Matt Reguerio. Up to bat was Tristan Santiago as he doubled to send Reguerio in scoring position at third. Tristan Smith stepped into the batter’s box next as he took a pitch right to the shoulder putting Martin into a jam with all runners on base with no outs. With all runners on base, Ryan Walsh smacked the ball deep into right field to send home Reguerio and Santiago tying the game at three-a-piece. Martin eventually found himself out of the jam to retire the side.
Brennan was relieved at the fourth by John Flannigan who kept the Hawkeyes scoreless throughout the game. “Our pitchers can throw strikes to keep us in the game. It doesn’t matter if it is John or Teddy; they both helped us pull through big time on the mound,” said the Head Coach of Next Level Baseball Jim Cunningham.
Still tied at the bottom of the sixth, Next Level made a pitching adjustment relieving Martin as Jared Kubel was on the hill. Madenburg singled to open the inning with slugger Anthony Pericolosi up to bat. Percolosi recorded an inside the park homer as he crushed the ball far out to center field which extended the lead 5-3.
“Anthony played a double header last night and he skulled every ball that was thrown to him. He just keeps getting better each time he steps inside the box and makes pitchers pay the price if they slip up,” Cunningham said.
“We don’t care about the victories or the defeats. We focus on the fundamentals of getting better every game not only individually, but as a team,” Cunningham said. Next Level Baseball improved their record to 8-3-4 on the season after this win and will keep focusing on improving as a unit the rest of this season.
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