Box Score
WATERBURY, Conn. (May 10, 2011)---James Wong delivered a walk-off, RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Post University defeated Chestnut Hill College, 8-7, Tuesday afternoon at Municipal Stadium, to advance to the CACC semifinals.
The Eagles scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to knock out Chestnut Hill and advance to a four-team, double-elimination tournament for the CACC title in Wilmington, Del., starting Thursday.
Catcher Russell Sirko was hit by a pitch to start the drama in the bottom of the ninth, and was subsequently lifted for pinch-runner Jared Maddox.
Maddox advanced to second on a Felix Osoria sacrifice. After an Alex Jahn groundout and a Todd Blair hit-by-pitch, the Eagles called on pinch-hitter Sean Jarrett to save their season.
“I think Jarrett's at-bat was a little bit of foreshadowing,” head coach A.J. McNamara said after the game. “I believe in the baseball gods. And I looked up at the sky and I said, you know, if there's ever a kid that deserves to come through right here, it's Sean Jarrett,” he said.
“And sure enough, he did.”
Jarrett sliced a sharp ground ball to third base, where Chestnut Hill's D.J. Santoro bobbled it, and then failed to tag out a diving Todd Blair at the bag. Jared Maddox sprinted home to tie the game at 7.
James Wong brought Blair home on the very next play, wrapping another slow chopper to third and just beating out the throw at first base.
“Wong came up with another great at-bat for us,” McNamara said. “He started out 0-2, then battled back, got it to 2-2, and just put the ball in play. That's what we've been saying all year. Just put it in play. James is one of the fastest guys in the league, and he came through for us.”
Wong finished the game 2-for-5.
Dan Steers pitched an inning of scoreless baseball to earn the win.
Chestnut Hill (16-22) jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but the Eagles answered back, taking a 4-3 after RBI triples in back-to-back innings by Todd Blair and Russell Sirko.
Ralph Dieguez came through with an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 5-3.
Chestnut Hill would battle back in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs to grab a 7-5 lead, but the Eagles' Travis Locascio came up with an RBI single to make it 7-6 in the bottom half of the inning.
John Orr took the loss for Chestnut Hill.
The Eagles will likely face Wilmington University in game one of the semifinal round on Thursday.
