Hersey topples Dundee-Crown with homer in 8th
The visiting Hersey baseball team responded to a dramatic, game-tying Dundee-Crown home run in the bottom of the seventh with a longball from an unlikely source to prevail 6-3 in eight innings on Saturday.
With one out in the top of the eighth, Joe Perricone's infield hit and a single by Pat Hyde set the stage for Huskies' No. 9 hitter, Alex Lee. The junior capped a 4-for-4 day with a 3-run home run into the wind that easily cleared the fence in left field.
"I haven't been doing too hot until today," said Lee, a junior. "Their pitcher would shake off if he was going to the curveball. He didn't shake off, so I just looked for the fastball."
Lee's blast topped that of Chargers right fielder Jake Romano. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the left-handed hitting freshman tied the game 3-3 by pulling a 3-2 pitch over the fence in right field. Not only was it the first varsity home run for Romano, it was youthful Dundee-Crown's first home run this season.
Romano's eyes welled with tears after the game as he spoke of his motivation. His best friend is Jacobs freshman Henry Gigeous, whose half-brother, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Fullerton, Calif. early Thursday.
"I know Henry and his family really well," Romano said. "I definitely dedicated that game and the rest of this season to Nick and his family."
The respective late homers were out of character in a game that featured a series of superb defensive plays by both sides, just enough timely hitting and solid starting pitching by Chargers senior left-hander Bill Peterson (6 IP, 1 ER) and Huskies junior Steve Danielak (51/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 hits).
Junior reliever Steve Sgrignoli retired D-C in order in the eighth to earn the save. The win snapped a 2-game losing streak for Hersey (5-5), which was coming off losses to Loyola and St. Viator.
"I'll be able to sleep tonight," Hersey coach Bob Huber said. "The expectations are high. We share it with the kids and we've talked about it, but we've looked terrible the last couple of days. I don't know if this'll jump start us or get us going, but we pitched better today, the defense was good and we got some timely hits. Hopefully, we can build on it."
On three occasions Dundee-Crown rallied from 1-run deficits to tie the game.
"I'm proud of all of these guys," said first-year D-C coach Jon Sawyer, whose lineup included two freshmen and a sophomore catcher. "They're battling, they're doing what we're asking and they're improving each game. We're getting better every day, and that's the important part right now."