JV Baseball: Indians pull off late-game victory
With a season record of 11-1, the Indians are no doubt comfortable with their ability to rack up the wins. Their 8-7 victory over McGann-Mercy on Tuesday, however, was no walk in the park — a late-game push from McGann-Mercy put the Indian’s 11th win in jeopardy and had the players and spectators on the edge of their seats.
The Indians on the bench looked tense after a long shot from a McGann-Mercy batter sent two runners home in the top of the seventh and the Indians’ 7-5 lead disappeared.
“Shake it off, Matt!” someone yelled from the stands, encouraging the pitcher, freshman Matt BeltCappellino to focus on the next batter. Just one more out and the Indians would get last licks, their last chance to win Tuesday’s game before heading into extra innings.
With a runner on second, BeltCappellino wound up and threw a strike. The batter slammed the next pitch high into the air, but centerfielder Matt Dunning was there to make the catch and retire the side.
Pitching an entire game can be tiring, BeltCappellino said, “but you get the adrenaline pumping — you wanna win so badly, so you keep throwing strikes.”
In the bottom of the seventh, BeltCappellino was first to the plate, and a good eye earned him a call of ball one from the umpire. He slammed the next pitch deep into left field, made it to first base. Matt’s brother, Andrew, was up next. Matt took a hefty lead, and when the pitcher threw ball one, he high-tailed it to second base. Without a McGann-Mercy fielder on second base to try to pick him off, he took a large lead again, and on the next pitch stole third, triggering a roaring cheer from the stands and putting him in position to score the winning run.
When his brother knocked a one-hop hit to third base, he did just that, crossing home plate after the catcher couldn’t reel in a wild throw from third, and the Indians’ bench emptied to celebrate.
“Everyone contributed something to that win,” Coach Peter Miedema explained after the game. “Whether it was a hit or a caught fly ball, everybody contributed, and that’s perfect.”
“We were a little sharper than the week before,” he added. “Some errors happened, but the majority of the plays we did were the correct thing to do.”
The Indians have benefited this season from fast base runners. In Tuesday’s game Riley Willumsen scored three runs, Matt BeltCappellino crossed the plate twice, and Nate Mundy, Spencer Gibbs and Matt Dunning all scored one run each.
The Indians had an easier time earning their two victories during a double-header at Greenport the week before on Friday, May 6 — after the Porters broke the Indians’ 8-game win streak on May 2 with a 7-6 victory, the Indians were raring for revenge on Friday, and it showed.
The Indians’ bats came alive in the fourth inning of the first game, when all nine batters in the line-up scored runs. With both Andrew and Matt BeltCappellino pitching, and a strong performance in the field, the Indians allowed just 5 runs. The final score was 18-5.
The Shelter Island squad kept their momentum in the second Friday game and earned another victory, 9-6. Willumsen was pitching and threw three strikeouts.
The score of the Indians’ game against McGann-Mercy yesterday wasn’t available when the Reporter went to press, but Coach Miedema was expecting a battle. “[Tuesday’s] game is going to leave a bitter taste in their mouths, so I know they’re coming to play.”
The Indians play tomorrow at Fiske Field against McGann-Mercy at 4:30 p.m.
