Archbishop Curley saved the best for last on Thursday afternoon at home, pulling out an incredible 15-14 win over Archbishop Spalding in a MIAA A Conference game that had everything a baseball fan could want. Featuring 29 runs, 29 hits, and four home runs in a 3 hour and 22 minute marathon, the Friars came through in dramatic fashion.
Jason Gordon smacked a walk-off single with two down in the bottom of the seventh to plate Tyler Burton with the winning run as the Friars answered a Cavalier comeback with a comeback of their own. Hitting in front of Gordon, Burton doubled in the tying run with two away before Gordon won the game.
Gordon also whacked a three-run homer in the bottom of the first for coach Jack Thomas, and he finished the day with four hits and four RBI. Burton had three hits and four RBI, and he scored three runs.
Spalding was even more explosive at the plate, after spotting Curley a 10-1 lead after just one inning of play.
Sean Miller had five hits and drove in four runs for the Cavs and Ryan Metzler had four hits and scored three runs. Nick Freeberger hit a three run homer in the top of the seventh to give his team a 14-12 lead. (Freeberger finished the week with 13 RBI in three games, and Miller had 10 hits.)
Derek Wells and Austin Clark also went deep for the Cavs.
In Curley’s huge opening frame, Spalding pitchers issued seven walks and all seven scored. The Cavaliers answered with four in the second, three in the fourth, and six in the seventh.
Freeberger’s bomb allowed his team to make a dramatic comeback in a game that looked like it was over early. Neither team would quit.
“We started off the week a little sluggish,” said Gordon. “We came back and beat Gilman, and we couldn’t end the week better, beating Spalding.”
Gordon said he was thinking fast-ball when he drilled his winning hit to left. “I was thinking fast-ball, and that’s what I got on the outside corner, and I just took it the other way.”
The Cavaliers were coming off a big 12-4 win over John Carroll on Wednesday, and they came to East Baltimore tied for first in the MIAA A Conference on Thursday.
Burton said that the Friars played as a team on Thursday. “We came up clutch. We could have folded when Freeberger hit the home run, but we came back strong.”
Miller said that despite Curley’s big lead, his team kept playing hard. “We kept our heads in the game.”
Curley will host John Carroll on Monday. Expect the fireworks to continue.
Archbishop Curley 15, Archbishop Spalding 14
AS 140 300 6 — 14 18 1
AC (10)00 011 3 — 15 11 1
Grant, Grill (1),Williams (1), Benitez (5), Wagner (7) and Kreis; Caulkins, Merkley (4), Deickman (7) and Gordon
WP-Deickman LP-Benitez
2B: AS-Miller; AC-Burton.
HR: AS-Wells,Clark, Freeberger; AC-Gordon.
