Blue Sox Celebrating the Walk-Off Win. Timothy Charvat, 2024
The pressure is on for the Utica Blue Sox. After losing to the Mohawk Valley Diamond
Dawgs 3-2 in extra innings, the Sox returned home on Pink in the Park night in a “must win” situation with a home playoff game on the line.
And the Sox returned the favor to the Dawgs in 3-2 walk off fashion in ten innings.
Hot Start For the Blue Sox
The Blue Sox made the first move in the bottom of the first. With two on and one out, first baseman Matthew Williams connected for a single off Dawgs starter Bo Buckley, but right fielder TJ Schmalzle picked up and threw out Sox centerfielder Todd Abraham at the plate.
After Buckley walked shortstop Wyatt Hunt to load the bases, left fielder Mike Benedetto hit a two-run bloop single to give the Sox the early lead.
Benedetto After Connecting for his Two-Run Single. Timothy Charvat, 2024.
“He competes,” Blue Sox manager Doug Delett commented after the game. “He gets in the batter’s box, and he’s not to be denied.”
Starting Pitching Shines
For the next few innings, starting pitching once again came up big time for both teams. Buckley settled down allowing only two baserunners in his final four innings of work, finishing his night with five innings pitched, two runs, and three hits allowed.
Not to be outdone, Blue Sox starter Anthony Anzaldi brought his A game, blanking the Dawgs throughout his first three innings.
But the Dawgs threatened in the top of the fourth. With a runner on third and one man out, Dawgs third baseman Justin Hurd would groundout, but the run scored cut the Sox lead 2-1.
Anzaldi then allowed the next two batters to reach base but ended the inning by getting catcher Max McGlone to popout.
Anzaldi then retired the final six batters he faced, ending his night with a season high six innings pitched, one run allowed on four hits and struck out three batters.
“He had command, and he had his fastball,” Delett commented. “He had good command tonight on all his pitches, so that’s where he’s effective.”
The Dawgs Tie It Up
The game remained tense as the bullpens began to battle, seeing who was going to crack first. And the Dawgs broke through in the top of the eight.
Aiden came into pitch, and immediately ran into trouble. With runners on first and second and one man out, Brody Rasmussen hit a ground ball to Hunt, who bobbled a potential inning-ending double play to load the bases.
This set up Ryan Frontera to hit a sacrifice fly, allowing the game to be tied at two.
A Drama Filled Nineth
The drama intensified in the ninth inning. Cole Moore replaced Murray, and with one out, left fielder Bryce Phelps hustled to third base on an error by the Sox third baseman Omar Carreras, putting the go ahead run ninety feet away.
Moore rose to the occasion, as he got McGlone to groundout and strikeout Schmalzle to send the Sox dugout into a frenzy.
Moore Fired Up After Striking Out Schmalzle. Timothy Charvat, 2024
The Sox threatened in the bottom half of the frame. Bryan Rios was brought into pitch, and the Sox were able to put two runners on with two outs for Benedetto.
Rios rose to the occasion as well, striking out Benedetto swinging and for the second straight game, the Sox were going into extra innings.
An Intense Tenth
As per PGCBL rules, the tenth inning starts off with a courtesy runner at second base. Moore allowed Diego Tavarez to reach on an infield hit putting runners on the corners with nobody out.
But after Moore struck out shortstop Christin Tufano, one of the most bizarre plays took place. With Rasmussen at the plate, the Dawgs attempted to double steal, but during the play Rasmussen struck out and interfered with the throw by catcher Sean Marlou, which resulted in the umpire calling the courtesy runner out and ending the inning.
“I was kind of surprised that we got a call in our favor,” Delett said. “But we did, and we took advantage of it.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Blue Sox made their move. Jayden Fateman replaced
Rios and allowed a walk to Marlou and an infield to Carreras, which loaded the bases with nobody out.
This set up extra hitter Max French to a walk off single to center field to win the game 3-2.
“I’m so happy for that kid, cause he works his tail off. And no one deserves it more than him to get that game winning hit there,” Delett said
Playoff Implacations
With the win, the Sox moved ahead of the Watertown Rapids, who had a rest day, by a game and a half for the fourth seed.
In addition, the Sox moved to a half game behind Mohawk Valley for the third seed.
What’s Next
The Sox go back on the road on Sunday, July 21 as they take on the Watertown Rapids with playoff seeding ramifications at stake. The first pitch is at 5:00 p.m.
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