by James Ryder
Thursday nights game between the 11u Plainview Hawks and the Batting 1.000 Seminoles at Haypath Park was the ideal baseball game experience.
The weather was great, the highlights for both teams offensively and defensively were plentiful, the score went back and forth the entire game, and large attendance made for an exciting environment. However, the finish to this game wasn’t ideal for either team. The result was an 8-8 tie after six innings of play. The final moments saw peak excitement, but unfortunately ended in initial confusion and ultimately some disappointment. So how’d we get there?
Plainview came out of the gates hot when they scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Three straight hits, a single by Aaron Traub, an RBI double by Brett Lagallo, and an RBI single from Phillip “Pickle” Pirozzi, gave the Hawks the quick lead. While these were all great hits, the biggest hits were still to come. After Batting 1.000’s Anthony Kenner walked in the bottom half of the first, Frankie Maiorano cranked a 2-run home run to straight away center field to tie the game at 2-2.
While the Seminoles got on the board with a bomb, the Hawks continued to score, but this time in a much smaller scale. Ryan Healy led off the second inning with a bunt single. After stealing second and third base, he was brought home on another bunt. The suicide squeeze was courtesy of David Gregory, who despite being thrown out at first, laid the bunt down well enough to give the Hawks the lead back, 3-2.
Plainview starting pitcher Jacob Kouba threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the second, which included two strikeouts. This gave his team the chance to expand their lead in the top of the third, where Lagallo scored again, this time on a passed ball, to make it a 4-2 game. With the Seminoles top of the order back up to bat in the bottom of the third, everyone at the game was hit with déjà vu. Kenner hit the Seminoles’ second home run of the game. Like his teammate before him, it was another 2-run, game tying shot to center field. The fireworks didn’t stop there for Batting 1.000. They kept hitting to take their first lead of the game. Joe Angeletta tried stealing second base, and the throw to second went into the outfield because no one was covering the base. This allowed Maidrano to score from third. A few pitches later, Collin Driscoll hit a single to RF to give the Seminoles first and third with 1 out. Angeletta came home while Driscoll was caught in a run-down, which he eventually got himself out of. Driscoll then stole third and went home on Aidan Susi’s RBI sacrifice fly to CF to bring the score to 7-4.
The Hawks would slowly comeback into this game over the course if the next two innings. One run scored in the top of the fourth on a passed ball. They then tied the game in the fifth with RBI singles from Pirozzi and Kouba. Finally, in the top of the sixth, Plainview got the lead back. Healy hit a leadoff double and later scored on another passed ball to make it 8-7.
Batting 1.000 rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning, their last chance to win it. The anticipation was insane, and they came quit literally one step away from walking off. After loading the bases, James Conway drew a walk that tied the game at 8-8. With one out left and the bases still loaded, Jake Barletta hit a bloop that dropped right next to second base. This would have won them the game, however, the shortstop and baserunner collided on the play, and the runner was called out to end the game. Sadly, this is how this enticing matchup concluded, but at least both teams went without a loss. Final Score: Plainview 8, Batting 1.000 8.
