NEWBERRY – Sportswriters have long been lauded for their ability to put pen to paper, bringing readers with them into the events they cover.
But, friends, some things you just have to see to believe.
A walk-off 7-6 win in the second game of a doubleheader, one that came on a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error to score a pair of runs five innings past the scheduled distance, gave the twinbill a grand conclusion long after warm February sunshine had turned to cold night.
One pitch after Newberry head coach
Russell Triplett was ejected for arguing a call that turned an apparent passed ball and two in scoring position into a 2-2 count with runners back at first and second.
Just before a brief mutual bowing up of chests near the third base bag in response to Newberry's electric celebration that spilled across the infield.
Minutes after an inning-ending bases-loaded strikeout (a called third strike that was nearly ball one) led to an ejection of a Belmont Abbey player.
And that was just the 12th inning of Game 2.
You get the drift.
Newberry (2-1) won the first game of the day, which was plenty exciting in its own right, by a 6-4 score before the thrilling 7-6, 12-inning win in the nightcap that left nothing but good tastes in the Wolves' mouths after a bitter 15-2 defeat in Belmont Friday afternoon.
Lost in the excitement of the Game 2 win was an eye-popping stat by the Newberry bullpen: Belmont Abbey (1-2) was stuck on four hits from the sixth inning on.
After
Tomas Sorcia, Jr. surrendered four runs in the sixth,
Jonathan Elicier took over and induced a first-pitch ground ball to the left side for a fielder's choice. From that point, Elicier,
Tyler Fuhr, and
Quinton Driggers held the potent Belmont Abbey offense to 0-for-20 at the plate with 10 strikeouts and four walks.
Fuhr alone sat down 12 straight batters before a wild pitch on a strikeout, an error, and a walk loaded the bases in the 12th. He was lifted after a strikeout in favor of Driggers, who came back from a 3-0 count to ring up Mason Dodd looking.
A full-count walk gave the Crusaders a 6-5 lead before Driggers froze Ben Snieder on an 0-2 pitch down and in for a called third strike. He was tossed from the game to set the stage for a dramatic bottom of the frame.
Belmont Abbey's Alex Nodarse threw nine pitches, eight of which failed to find the strike zone, before he was replaced with Nolan Wilson. With nobody out, two runners on, and a 2-1 count,
Tanner Lane appeared to pull the bat back on a fake bunt attempt. The ball glanced off the catcher's mitt and bounced away, advancing both runners 90 feet, but after a brief consultation the ball was ruled to have been tipped foul, making the count 2-2 and returning both runners to their bags.
After the fireworks died down five minutes later, Lane bunted the next pitch to the third base side of the mound. Wilson fielded and spun to throw to first, but the throw was wide. The play was ruled a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error, giving the Wolves two unearned runs and touching off a wild celebration at the plate.
The ending provided sweet redemption for a team that stranded eight runners on the basepaths from the bottom of the seventh onward.
The Wolves had jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a booming three-run triple by
Tyler Ackard and an RBI single from
Braylin Marine. Newberry tacked on a run in the fifth inning on Ackard's RBI groundout to lead 5-1 before the Crusaders' comeback attempt began in the sixth.
Matthew Campbell, who logged 2.2 innings in two appearances in 2018, was brilliant in his first career start. The sophomore gave up a run on two hits over five innings of work, striking out five batters and exiting the game in line for the win despite the no decision.
Freshman right fielder
Zane Tarrance led the Wolves with three hits in the contest, while Marine went 2-for-4 with a pair of walks.
The first game saw the Wolves erase a 1-0 deficit with a three-run second, lose the lead in the fourth, un-tie the game in the fifth, go up by two in the seventh, see the lead shrink to one in the eighth, and get an insurance run in the bottom of the frame.
Not bad for the least exciting game of the day, right?
Josh Bookbinder earned the win in his first collegiate start by giving up three runs on five hits in five innings. He, Driggers (3.0 IP, hold) and Elicier (1.0 IP, save) racked up 14 strikeouts without a walk on the day. Elicier struck out the side on 15 pitches in the ninth.
Newberry scored three runs without a hit in the second inning, drawing three straight two-out walks, taking advantage of a fielding error, then benefitting from two more walks before a fielder's choice ended the frame.
After a two-run home run tied the game in the fourth,
Ian Clements' RBI fielder's choice gave the lead right back to Newberry in the fifth.
Aidan Baur made the score 5-3 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and
Kevin Clanton's pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth gave Newberry an all-important insurance run after the Crusaders hit a solo homer to close the gap in the top of the inning.
So to recap: Newberry's doubleheader sweep took 21 innings, seven hours and 11 minutes of action, 653 pitches, 180 plate appearances…
Strike that. Some things you just have to see to believe. And if you weren't here, well, there's always the next home game.
You never know what could happen.
