|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
All-Stars lose heartbreaker in bottom of sixth
Losing a baseball game rarely makes anyone's day, especially when that loss appears out of nowhere. The SYA East Little League All-Stars suffered one of those losses -- a 7-6 heartbreaker to Tuckahoe in the Majors state title game -- though the team's day was made before it even began.
After returning only two players from last year's state championship team, SYA East coach Preston Bach received dazzling efforts Wednesday from those two returnees, center fielder C.J. Evans and starting pitching Scotty Walter.
"I couldn't imagine us getting to this point without those two leading the way," Bach said. "Through the whole tournament, those guys were just electric."
Added Walter, "We just worked hard every day at practice, giving it everything we had."
Evans made a diving grab to rob Tuckahoe's Will Black and preserve a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Walter was beginning to struggle with his control and two runs had already crossed the plate.
"All I can do is my best," explained Evans, who finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. "I go for everything."
Evans' catch appeared to hold together an impressive outing for Walter (4 IP, 3 runs, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts), but Tuckahoe rallied for four runs -- on three homers -- in the bottom of the sixth inning for the win.
But as coach Bach said, SYA East beat out more than 100 teams throughout the state of Virginia and battled with the state champions until the final out.
"We fought [for] the state championship until the bottom of the sixth inning," coach Bach said. "These Tuckahoe kids hit some pitches. What can you do if the ball's not in the yard? We can't make a play on it."
SYA plated four runs in the top of the first, as A.J. Catalano blasted a two-run homer to center. After Walter walked, Carson Bach followed with a double. A sacrifice fly from Ryan Barnes scored Walter, and Andrew Gordon added an RBI single to finish the rally.
In the third, Carson Bach's groundout produced the team's fifth run and a solid bunt from Brennan Arvo put SYA ahead, 6-3, entering the bottom of the sixth.
"This group, we've had them since they were 9 years old," coach Bach said. "They know what it takes to get here, they're about as seasoned as C.J. and Scotty. But C.J. and Scotty brought that leadership and that really was pivotal just to get here."
You must be logged in to post a comment.