Thursday,
May 8, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Mike Salmonese rounding the bases after his game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in Waldwick's 7-6 lead over Demarest in the opening round of the Bergen County Tournament on Thursday. |
WALDWICK – When in need of inspiration the Waldwick baseball team knows just where to look. Katie Brunner never gives up on her team and the Warriors' No. 1 fan is constantly encouraging her favorite team no matter what the score is.
But down by five runs at home to Northern Valley/Demarest in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament going into the bottom of the sixth inning, and down two runs going into their final at-bat, the Warriors tapped into Brunner's spirit to pick each other up emotionally. The end result was a magical ending that both Brunner and the Waldwick players will never forget.
Mike Salmonese hit a two-run homer to right-center to tie the game and Connor Walsh followed with a walk-off solo shot as Waldwick, No. 15 seed, came back to score a wild 7-6 triumph over 18th seeded Demarest on Wednesday at Waldwick High School.
In a classy move by all of the Waldwick players, they presented the game ball to Brunner, who was beyond elated to receive the gift from ‘her boys’.
“Katie is at every one of our games and I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for giving her the game ball,” said a teary-eyed Frank Clark, Waldwick's head coach. “That girl has battled through a lot and we wanted to show our appreciation for the inspiration she gives us. As much as the win means to these guys and all of us, seeing the joy on her face when she got that ball makes this win truly special and one none of us here will ever forget.”
Demarest took command of the game early behind the right arm of senior starter George Gillies and a balanced lineup. The Norsemen scored in each of the first four innings, including three runs in the third. Dominic Fazio clouted a solo home run to dead center and Kyle Stevens dropped in a two-out, two-run single. Fazio added an RBI double in the fourth to make it a five-run lead, 6-1.
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George Gillies got the start and pitched well for Demarest. |
Meanwhile, Gillies had his fastball and curve working effectively and keot the Warriors off the basepaths through the first five innings before a rare touch of wildness eventually got him in some trouble in the sixth. Walsh drew a leadoff walk and Steven Corra was hit by a pitch before Sergio Diaz yanked one well over the short porch in right field for a three-run homer that cut the deficit to a more manageable two runs at 6-4.
“We needed to get a spark from someone and Sergio’s homer gave us exactly the lift we needed,” said Walsh, who also scored over 1,000 career points in his four-year varsity basketball career.
To show how dominant Gillies and the Norsemen were up until that point, only three batted balls off the bats of Waldwick even reached the outfield before Diaz’s home run, but that hit knocked Gillies out of the box and gave the Warriors some new life.
It looked like the Norsemen had regained momentum when they threw a runner out at third to end the sixth inning, but with one last at-bat and one devoted fan in Brunner cheering on their every move, the Warriors were going to take their hacks. If they were going to go down, they were going to go down swinging.
Kyle Carty drew a leadoff walk and, after a failed bunt attempt, Salmonese got the green light to swing away. That proved to be the correct decision as he drove the ball over the right-center field fence for a two-run homer to tie the game at 6.
“Honestly, I just wanted to get a hit and get the heart of our lineup to the plate,” said Salmonese. “Any way that I could get on base, that’s all I really wanted to do. I got a good pitch to hit and was able to drive it out. We were down five runs against Westwood and four runs to Park Ridge, so we knew we could come back. But there was a lot more pressure today with it being a county tournament game.”
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Not only did Waldwick's Connor Walsh hit the game-winning homer, but he also pitched two innings and picked up the win in relief. |
Before the euphoria from the homer un by Salmonese even had a chance to fade, Walsh unleashed a long drive towards that right-center field gap. While Salmonese’s two-run shot looked like it might be off the fence, Walsh's was a no-doubter as the Waldwick players, coaches, fans and, most importantly, Brunner, erupted in celebration.
“We played in a few games like this my freshman year on a senior-laden team and this had the same kind of feel,” added Walsh. “I was looking to see something over the plate because I figured he didn’t want to walk me and put the winning run on. I usually get a lot of curveballs, but I got a fastball and got a good swing on it. We’re a team that usually adapts better at the plate in our second and third times through the order and I’m happy we came out of here with a win.”
Walsh did a little bit of everything for Waldwick (16-2). He hit the game-winning home run, reached base in all four of his plate appearances, scored two runs and, in just his second appearance of the season on the mound, he tossed two scoreless innings to pick up the win. Salmonese and Diaz each drove in three runs.
Fazio finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with two RBI for Demarest (10-7). In 5-plus innings of work, Gillies allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out nine along with three runs scored and a pair of hits at the plate.
The Warriors advance to Saturday’s Round of 16, where they will face second-seeded Indian Hills. That game will be played at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday at, ironically enough, Northern Valley/Demarest.
“This is one of the most exciting wins we’ve ever had in my time here and there have been some wild ones,” said Waldwick head coach Frank Clark. “It’s just a testament to playing hard and never giving up no matter how the odds are stacked against you. To do it the way we did against a really quality program like Demarest says a lot about the character of this team.”
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