Ryan Watson ripped a two-run double into the right center field gap to break a 4-4 ninth inning deadlock and lead the Whitesboro Warriors(17-7) to the Section III Class A championship over VVS(18-5), 8-4 Tuesday at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse.
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The Warriors, seeded 9th in the tourney, have won a Section III championship in two of the last three years and will have an entire week off before playing in the State Regionals next Tuesday. Whitesboro will take on the Section II or Section X Champ.
Even though Watson was the hero, with the game-winning hit, the game would have never made it that far if it wasn't for the arm of Brendan Heitz in left field.
(Whitesboro catcher Dylan Gorski (10) receives a perfect throw from left fielder Brendan Heitz and awaits VVS baserunner Collin Laguzza (9) at the plate for a game saving put out at home.)
Heitz throw to save the game in the eighth
With the score tied in the bottom of the eighth, Red Devil Anthony Rocco singled sharply to left field. With two outs, Collin Laguzza was off on contact from second base and was chugging home to score the winning run, but Heitz came up firing and threw a strike to the plate to nail Laguzza and keep the Warriors alive.
The throw sparked the Whitesboro bench and the Warriors put together the game-winning rally the next half inning. It's never easy when these two TVL rivals get together. The long time TVL foes split their regular season meetings and Whitesboro wins the one that means the most.
(Warrior nation celebrates their Section III Champs)
Ryan Watson's game winning double
A one-out walk to Dan Russo was followed by a hit batter and then a Heitz infield single. With the bases loaded, Watson delivered his two-run double to the gap and Matt Engler singled sharply to center to score two more for the 8-4 margin.
Engler then strolled out for the ninth and put the finishing touches on the Warriors second Sectional title in three years. The lefty allowed a two-out single to Tyler Mautner but induced an game-ending ground out to second.
Engler entered in the seventh after the Red Devils had tied the score at 4-4 and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win. VVS forced extra innings with a two-run seventh inning rally against Warrior ace MJ Hajec.
(VVS third baseman Matt Davis (14) ranges high for a throw from home as Whitesboro's Connor Passlaqua (15) swipes third base.)
Back-to-back walks put two on with one out and Jamie Cielinski cut the lead to 4-3 with an RBI single to left.
That was the end of the day for Hajec and Engler entered and got a ground ball up the middle, but Warriors shortstop Mike Sullivan's relay throw to first to complete the double play eluded the first basemen and allowed the tying run to score.
Whitesboro scratched out three runs against Red Devil starter Jesse Whitmeyer without the benefit of a hit. The left handed Whitmeyer struck out the side in the first, but not before he uncorked a wild pitch that scored Mike Sullivan with the first run of the game.
(VVS starting pitcher Jesse Whitmeyer locks his eyes on the target during a first inning pitch.)
Whitmeyer settled down to leave the bases loaded in the second and then retired six straight batters before walking the first two batters of the fifth.
That was the end for him and Mitch Iseneker was brought to relieve. A sac bunt moved the runners over and then Heitz drilled a two-run double down the line in right to make it 3-0 Whitesboro.
The Red Devils quickly rallied with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the fourth. Iseneker drew a one-out walk, stole second, moved to third on a single and scored VVS' first run on a wild pitch. Laguzza made it 3-2 with an RBI single but Hajec ended the inning with one of his nine strikeouts.
(Whitesboro shortstop Mike Sullivan leaps to take the throw from home as VVS' Mitch Iseneker (10) looks to beat it to the bag.)
Mautner had three hits and Davis two, to lead VVS at the plate. Russo reached safely three times with two walks and a hit by pitch and scored three times, Sullivan was hit twice and scored two runs and Heitz, Watson and Engler all drove in two runs for the Warriors.
For some reason the Warriors seem to love their last at bat, having won three of their last four games with their last raps. It makes for exciting baseball and Warrior fans have one more last ups to look forward to, at least.
Tristan Hobbes talks to MJ Hajec,Matt Engler,Ryan Watson and Brendan Heitz
(Warriors celebrate in style at Allliance Bank Park)
Warriors celebrate in style!
Whitesboro 8 Vernon Verona Sherrill 4
BOX
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
W'Boro 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 8 5 1
VVS 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 4 9 0
(The banner says it all. Congratulations Whitesboro!)
Coach Bill DeCoursey interview
