Rory Sidie of the Diamond Jacks Gold 11U scores on wild pitch.
By Sean Reilly
It’s one thing to win a baseball game. It’s another to come back twice from sizable deficits to do it.
Makina Baseball 11U found itself trailing twice on Sunday morning when it faced the Diamond Jacks Gold 11U in a pool play game at the Diamond Nation 11U Slugfest tournament.
Each time, Makina Baseball answered back, before it ultimately surged ahead for a 16-9 win in Flemington.
The Newark team trailed, 6-0, before scoring six times to tie in the bottom of the second.
After the DJacks scored three more times to go ahead, 9-6, in the top of the third, the 1:50 play clock expired in the bottom of that inning after Makina scored 10 more runs for the final seven-run margin.
“I think that we’re a good team overall, and we had to stay strong and bring everyone up,” said Chuck Rivera, who singled and walked in his two at-bats. “It feels really good that we did it.”
The DJacks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, with Joseph Sullivan hitting an RBI triple with two out before scoring on a wild pitch.
The DJacks extended the lead to 6-0 in the second, with Alexander Michaud, Bradley Resnick, Leland Killie and Theodore Burns all scoring on wild pitches.
Makina Baseball tied with a six-run bottom of the second.
Cristian Herrera scored the first run on a wild pitch. Jair Santana and Noah Balbuena walked, and they both scored when Malakai Guillen doubled to left-center. Guillen stole third, and scored as Nouh Huda doubled to center.
Rivera followed with a bloop single between the mound and second base which loaded the bases, and Charles Ives followed with a ground ball which resulted in a force out at second base, but ended with two runs scoring for the 6-6 tie.
Edvan Guzman of Makina Baseball 11U tries to avoid tag by Alexander Michaud of Diamond Jacks.
The DJacks reclaimed the lead in the top of the third, which began with Derek Schladt hitting a double to right field. He stole third and scored as Rory Sidie was safe on a single to shortstop. Sidie wound up scoring on a wild pitch. Michaud walked and also came around to score on a wild pitch.
Makina then scored 10 times in the bottom of the third. It sent 15 batters to the plate before the game ended with the expiration of the play clock.
The first run scored on an error before a single to center from Herrera brought in two runs for a 9-9 tie. He later scored the go-ahead run on an error.
The 11th run also scored on an error. Guillen scored on a wild pitch for a 12-9 lead. Ives drew a bases loaded walk, Guzman was the batter when a wild pitch scored another run. He followed with an RBI single to shortstop. A walk to Hanle Moya reloaded the bases and Luis Silva drew an RBI walk that ended the game.
Huda finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and one RBI. Ives had a team-high three RBI.