Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, you haven’t.
Way back in the first inning of Watchung Hills’ Skyland Conference Delaware Division home game against Bridgewater-Raritan Thursday – heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – first baseman Max Payne did something he may never, ever do again.
He broke his bat – a metal bat – on what turned out to be an infield hit to the left side. Has anyone ever seen that happen? Probably not.
But he was outdone by how the Hustlin’ Warriors finished off the game.
After taking a 6-5 lead with five runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Panthers rallied in the top of the seventh to tie the game at six, forcing Hills to bat in the bottom of the seventh with the score 6-6.
Payne flied out to center, and Landon Pudlak popped up a foul ball to the first baseman. But with two out, Brody Griffith singled, and Brady Simo reached on a hard liner to third that was scored an infield hit. With a 3-1 count, centerfielder Chris Dorsi took a strike, as Griffith made a move toward third. That prompted a pickoff throw from catcher Michael Lobosco.
By now, Griffith was well on his way to third, but the throw couldn’t be handled at the bag by Connor Price, and it sailed to the fence, bringing Griffith home with the winning run, giving Watchung Hills (3-1) a 7-6 victory and a two-game sweep of BR following a 9-1 road win Tuesday.
The Warriors got on the board in the bottom of the first taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Pudlak, but Bridgewater got five in their half of the second on five hits. They did it with a two-RBI double by DH Stephen Pikulin with the bases loaded, then a three-run homer to left by Josh Moore – the first of his varsity career – during one of the few moments in the game when a steady wind died down. All five runs came with one out.
The Warriors got those five back in the fourth, taking a 6-5 lead, sending nine men to the plate in the inning. They loaded the bases when Brady Simo got hit by a pitch, Dorsi reached on an infield hit, and Sam Hunsinger got plunked as well. Stef DiGeronimo walked to drive in a run, making it 5-2 Panthers, and that was it for Bridgewater starter Kevin Kelly.
Gavin Butch relieved him, and went 3-2 on the next two batters before striking both out. But Payne cut the deficit to two with a hard liner to short that was ruled an infield hit, Pudlack drove in two with a line drive single to right to make it 5-5, and Payne scored on a wild pitch with Griffith at the plate to make it 6-5 Watchung Hills.
Jack Braswell, in his first pitching appearance of the season for Bridgewater-Raritan (1-3), took the loss, while the win went to the Warriors’ Lucas Sheehan, who also made his first appearance of the year, despite giving up the tying run in the top of the seventh.
Click below for postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco, pitcher Nick minettio and second baseman Landon Pudlak, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
