by Ethan Berch
ANTONIO LARI DELIVERS!! WALK OFF HOMERUN WINS IT AND SENDS TEAM FRANSICO INTO THE PLAYOFFS! pic.twitter.com/sahJx5El3y
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 31, 2020
Halloween Day and early morning baseball sounds as sweet as candy! It was as cold as it gets for an October morning here at Allen Park in Farmingdale. The 9u Farmingdale Greendogs took on New York Longhorns-Black in an East Coast matchup. The winner of this game would presumably clinch a spot in next week’s playoffs!
Antonio Lari got the nod for the Longhorns. Lari was a big kid who threw the ball with high velocity. Little-to-no kids were able to catch up with his fastball. The Greendogs struck first in the top of the first inning after three straight walks and hit batsmen. However, Lari struck out three in a row and eliminated any more threats.
Jake D’Amico started the game for the Greendogs. After a walk and a stolen base, the Longhorns got right back on the board after an error at shortstop. The score would stay close and even at two as went on to the fourth. Lari was taken out of the game after 2.1 innings pitched and seven strikeouts, but seven walks.
Flash forward to the fourth inning, Braden Grill of the Longhorns got into a ball and ripped it deep into centerfield. This ball would roll for days and Grill had an easy trot around the bases. Just like that, the Longhorns had the lead, 3-2. This game was far from over because down to their final strike in the sixth inning, the Greendogs made some noise. With a runner stealing to third, the ball was thrown away and a runner came around and scored the tying run!
An angry and frustrated Longhorns team came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Antonio Lari, the kid who started this game with seven strikeouts, did the damage. Lari ripped a walk-off homerun into centerfield and the NY Longhorns won the ballgame 4-3! With this win, they have clinch a spot in the postseason!
