By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)
In a back-and-forth classic, it seemed only fitting that the culmination would be unexpected.
With host St. John’s Prep and BC High tied 7-7 in the bottom of the second, Prep pinch runner Max Freedman led off second with nobody out. The offering from BC High reliever Charlie Devin got behind the catcher and went to the backstop, and with BC High’s battery mate unable to locate the baseball Freedman sprinted home all the way around from second base to give St. John’s Prep an 8-7 win over BC High on Monday afternoon at the Frates Diamond.
“I aggressively turned around third because while going to third, I saw that there was a chance that I could maybe get home,” said Freedman. “When I started running (third base coach Matt) Antontelli, said ‘go!’ but I was already running before then.”
The game between the two Catholic Conference heavy weights was a back-and-forth affair throughout. The sides exchanged leads seven times and combined for 18 runs.
St. John’s Prep appeared to have taken the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth when after trailing 6-5, they scored twice courtesy of a two run double off the bat of Jacob Bolger.
Down to their final three outs, however, BC High rallied. Sean O’Connell and Pat Roche each earned free passes and Devin laced an RBI double down the left field line to tie the game 7-7. BC High had a chance to jump in front with second and third and nobody out but St. John’s Prep reliever Sean Letarte got a pair of strikeouts with his curveball before inducing a fly out to right field to retire the side.
“BC High smacked the ball all over the place but we were able to hit just enough to stay in the game which was the key,” said St. John’s Prep coach Dan Letarte. “Some of their pitchers missed spots and once you give out free passes in high school baseball you can do so many different things and we took advantage of them.”
BC High jumped in front 1-0 in the top half of the first on a Dave Driscoll ground rule RBI double, but St. John’s Prep came right back with two of their own on a Bolger sacrifice fly and a Sean Lang bases loaded walk.
Trailing 2-1 in the top of the second BC High scored four times highlighted by a Bobby DeMeo two run single to left to take a 4-2 lead. The visiting Eagles had a chance for more with two on and nobody out, but Matt Sullivan hit a line drive to shortstop that turned into an unassisted double play that got the Prep through the inning,
The Prep then chipped away in the third after going down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second. Alex Lane hit a booming triple and came home to score on a wild pitch. One inning later the Prep jumped in front as after they loaded the bases with nobody out, Mike Yarin lined a two out, two run single to left to put the Prep up 5-4.
Once again BC High had an answer.
Mike Vasil began the top of the fifth with a triple into right center field and crossed the plate three batters later when Roche lined an opposite field RBI single.
St. John’s Prep had a chance to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning but a pop up to first got MacDonald through the frame.
BC High capitalized on MacDonald’s shutdown inning as DeMeo singled, stole second and third and then came home to score on a chopper through the left side off the bat of Matt Sullivan.
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