Byrd sparkles on the mound, shines at the plate, as Watchung Hills hands Immaculata its first loss

The Watchung Hills baseball team wasn’t happy with its 8-5 loss to Immaculata back in April 10th.

The first four-and-a-half innings of their rematch were tense, with neither team leading by more than a run and Immaculata up 3-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth.

But that’s when the floodgates opened and Watchung Hills scored five runs to take a 7-3 lead. They added four more to go up by eight after six. And though the Spartans scored twice in the seventh, the margin was enough for the Warriors to close out the game and win 11-5, handing Immaculata its first loss of the season, dropping them to 9-1.

Starting pitcher Ethan Byrd had struck out 12 batters all season in three starts, but fanned 10 Spartans Tuesday afternoon. And he also helped his case at the plate, with a pair of two RBI singles, one in the first inning and another in what turned out to be the decisive fifth.

Will Hunsinger hit two home runs in the game, a two-run shot in the five-run fifth, and a solo shot in the sixth, when Watchung Hills added four more runs of insurance. Both were line drive no-doubters to left field.

Immaculata got on the board first with a two out single by Josh Thompson with the bases loaded, but they left the bases loaded when Owen Schilling struck out.

But the Warriors took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning when Byrd singled with one out, driving in a pair. Then, like ‘Lata, they left the bases loaded.

The Spartans then tied it up in the third. With one out, Jayson Labrador and Troy Rabosky singled back-to-back. On a double steal, the throw to get Rabosky at second was dropped by Jason Wu, the Watchung Hills second baseman, allowing Labrador to cross home plate from third.

Immaculata took the lead in the fifth. Capnidica led off with a walk and stole second. With two outs, Danny Ferguson hit a grounder to second that Wu booted, scoring Capindica, making it 3-2.

Then, the floodgates opened in the bottom of the fifth, as Watchung Hills batted around and sent ten men to the plate. Wu led off with a single, then Hunsinger lined a two-run homer to left of the first pitch to give the Warriors a 4-3 lead. After a Jacob Jaconski strikeout, Ethan Clayton singled, Max Payne walked and – after another strikeout – Jake Kierstad walked, too, to load the bases.

Ben Verbel walked to force in a run and make it 5-3, then Byrd came up and knocked in two more runs with another single to make it 7-3.

And in the sixth, the onslaught continued. Hunsinger lined another home run to left field to lead off, then Jaconski and Clayton singled, and Payne walked to load the bases. Brody Griffith flied to left, but when Jaconski tried to score on a tag-up, Rabosky’s throw from left field sailed over the backstop and out of play, allowing Clayton to score as well. A fourth run came in on a Jake Kierstead groundout to short, putting Watchung Hills up 11-3 heading into the seventh.

Immaculata got a couple of runs on a one-out, two-run homer by Rabosky, but that was as close as they would get.