by Gabe Zoda
In the bottom of the 6th the FS Hitmen comeback and WALK IT OFF ON THIS BROKEN PLAY. Jay Gigante scored the winning run. pic.twitter.com/gs3LSSL3FD
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 29, 2021
Some of the best feeling wins in baseball come from comebacks and walk-offs. Luckily for everyone in attendance at this 13u matchup between the LI Jr Ducks and the FS Hitmen, we got to see both.
This game was one of the most back-and-forth games of the season. These teams traded blows and scored in all but 2 innings. The scoring showed itself in the scoreboard as well as the final score would end up 9-8 in favor of the FS Hitmen.
The Jr. Ducks would land the first punch in the top of the 1st. They would score 1 from a single from Max Rayburn to make that happen. Before that single though, Justin Benevento would get the offense started with a walk. After walking, he would steal second to get into scoring position. Joe Menella then singled right after that would move Benevento to 3rd.
Max Rayburn then drove in the first run with a single of his own. His flare out to left center brought in Benevento and gave the Jr. Ducks an early 1-0 lead.
That lead would not last for long at all as the FS Hitmen put up a 3-spot in the bottom of the first to erase the deficit and take a 3-1 lead of their own at the end of the 1st.
The Hitmen started off the inning with 2 quick outs but then Nick Medoro would shift the momentum of the inning with a 3B with 2 outs. Tristan Hickis would then bring in Medoro with a single but they weren’t done there. The second run of the inning scored on another 2 out single, this time from Jay Gigante, to the left side.
They would score one more in the inning from after an E-4 the 3rd run to score.
After an eventful 1st inning, the 2nd would be one of the only scoreless innings but in the top of the 3rd, the Jr Ducks came right back. In this inning they would score 2 runs and tie things up at 3 runs a piece.
The Jr Ducks started this inning by getting 2 quick outs but then loaded up the bases quickly after that. The base runner was Mason Forte after he walked. After his walk, Justin Benevento singled to put 2 runners on and Joe Menella walked right after him to load things up.
Just like the Hitmen, the Jr Ducks would take advantage of a two-out error and score from it. In this situation, Max Rayburn hit one into left center and a miscommunication between fielders caused a small collision and the ball was unable to be caught. The Jr Ducks would end up scoring 2 from that to make it a 3-3 ballgame but in the bottom of the inning, the Hitmen would bounce right back
In fact, in the bottom of the 3rd, they would bounce back in a big way with 3 runs that would give them a 6-3 lead to close out the 3rd inning.
They started this inning off with instant offense as Nick Taranto lead things off with a walk. After Taranto, Joseph Camarda and Nick Medoro had back to back 2Bs. Medoro’s 2B scored Taranto and Camarda to make it a 5-3 ballgame.
Nick Medoro then used his speed to get himself to 3rd on a stolen base and scored after Tristan Hickis grounded one to the right side.
The Junior Ducks now faced a 3-run deficit to overcome heading into the 4th inning. As previously mentioned, this was a back-and-forth game and in the top of the 4th inning the Jr. Ducks would prove that once again.
This inning would be an explosion of offense for the Ducks. They not only erased the lead but made a small lead of their own. The Ducks would end up scoring 5 runs in this inning and making the score 8-6.
They would start quickly as Ryan Quinn got a leadoff walk. Nick Hoffmann would reach base with a FC and an E-5 would allow Madden Breunig to get on. After that, Justin Gomez would load up the bases with a 1B. Now with the players in position, the Ducks could start the scoring.
They would score 3 runs on 3 consecutive walks to Dylan Cousins, Mason Forte and Justin Benevento. The next batter of the inning would be Joe Menella. The coaches mentioned that this kid had power and he would showcase exactly that. In this AB, He would LAUNCH a ball to deep center that would easily go over the head of the center fielder.
This would only end up being a 1B but it scored 2 runs and gave the Ducks an 8-6 lead that they would carry all the way until the bottom of the 6th.
In the bottom of the 6th, the Ducks needed just 3 outs to get the victory. But the FS Hitmen needed 3 runs to win in walk-off fashion. It was a race to see which would happen first.
The inning started with a single from Nick Medoro. Tristan Hickis then worked a big walk to put 2 runners on base. Jay Gigante then reached base on an E-8.
Frank Dellarosa would knock in a run in with a single out to left field to make it 8-7. James Payne then laid down a good bunt that allowed Hickis to score and all of a sudden, the game was tied and the FS Hitmen still had the opportunity to take it home.
In the next AB, the Hitmen attempted to go with the same strategy that they went with Payne, the sac bunt.
Instead the play broke down when the pitch was way outside and almost got away from the catcher for the Ducks. Instead, he was able to grab it but Gigante, who was at 3rd, thought that it had gotten away.
This led Gigante to be almost ¾ down the 3rd base line when he had realized and started sprinting backwards. The Ducks catcher chucked it over to the 3rd baseman and immediately went back to home because Gigante had committed to trying to score.
The throw was good and got there before Gigante scored but he was able to just avoid the tag and slide in safely at home for an exciting walk off finish.
Great way to finish a super back and forth game between 2 pretty evenly matched up squads. It might not have been the most exciting way for the Jr Ducks right now but down the road, that’s a game everyone can look back at and have a ton of good memories.
