FRANKLIN 鈥 It was once again a less-than-ideal day to play baseball, but SM天地论坛 North and Hamilton put on a classic.
It was a slugfest, but the Northstars edged out a 12-11 nonconference win in extra innings at The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin.
"I was just looking for my pitch to hit," Northstars second baseman Doshin Rivera said. "I was just trying to be patient."
Rivera was one of nine different Northstar players to record a hit. Not to be outdone, the Chargers saw seven of their players record a hit, with Nate Glapa leading the way with three hits, including a double and a triple.
SM天地论坛 North opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when senior D鈥橝ngelo Rivera doubled to drive in Cooper Haas, who singled to start the inning. Hamilton immediately responded with three runs in the top of the second.
Three walks and two RBI singles put the Chargers in control of the game. After blanking the Northstars in the bottom half of the inning, John Arnold drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The Chargers added four more runs in the top of the fourth to bust the game wide open.
The Northstars looked down and out heading into the bottom half of the frame, but the game was far from over. The first five Northstars batters reached in the inning, bringing life to a previously quiet dugout. Junior Connor Curtis hit an RBI triple, one of his four hits on the day, and the next four Northstars reached after that before the final out of the inning was made.
When all was said and done, the Northstars racked up eight runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-8 lead.
However, just like before, when punched in the gut, the Chargers responded. In the top of the fifth, junior Nate Glapa tripled and was immediately brought home by a double from junior Luka Tusic. An error and a single helped tack on two more runs for the Chargers as they regained the lead, 11-9.
Connor Curtis, who had originally started the game at third base for the Northstars, was tasked with pitching the final four innings.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to give up any free bases,鈥 Curtis said. 鈥淚 have a great defense behind me, that鈥檚 what we pride ourselves on.鈥
The Northstars started chipping away at the Chargers鈥 lead as Curtis continued to get outs on the mound. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the score still 11-9, Ethan Knoll hit an RBI double to cut the lead down to one.
Curtis again blanked the Chargers in the top half of the seventh, setting up a nail-biting finish. Cooper Haas led off the inning with a single but was caught stealing by Chargers catcher Luka Tusic. AJ Curtis flew out to left, leaving the Northstars one run behind with only one out remaining. Connor Curtis singled, D鈥橝ngelo Rivera reached on an error and Doshin Rivera was hit by a pitch, leaving the bases loaded for sophomore Thomas Radomski.
Radomski showed great poise at the plate, working the count full. The payoff pitch was called ball four, and the tying run crossed the plate. Junior Connor Wilkum walked up to the plate with a chance to be the hero but struck out looking on a devastating 3-2 curveball from Chargers pitcher Stone Sanchez, taking the game to extra innings.
The Chargers went quietly in the top half of the frame, leaving the Northstars needing one run in the bottom of the eighth to win the game.
Two of the first three batters reached for the Northstars, but after AJ Curtis flew out to center, the game seemed destined to go into the ninth.
Up stepped Connor Curtis. Curtis, who already had three hits to his name, including a triple and a double, blooped a single into shallow center field, allowing Owen Johnson to score from third and win the game for the Northstars.
鈥淚 just wanted to be patient,鈥 Curtis said of his game-winning at-bat. 鈥淚 wanted to stay relaxed and composed.鈥
It鈥檚 not every day a game like this comes along, so for those watching from the stands, and those on the field, it was one to enjoy.
Doshin Rivera summed it up perfectly.
鈥淚t was legendary.鈥
