CENTRAL NEW YORK – Jed Lloyd threw strike three past Owen Bougourd, and all the emotions poured out as he flung his hat and his glove before getting congratulated by his teammates.
Bishop Grimes baseball lived on, at least for one more game – and did so as Section III Class C champions.
High emotions were guaranteed last Tuesday night at Onondaga Community College no matter how the Cobras’ sectional final against Utica Notre Dame turned out.
But the way the 7-6 victory for Grimes unfolded rivaled anything in fiction with a rousing start, a discouraging middle portion, a stunning twist and a dramatic conclusion, all for a team in its final season before the school’s closure.
“We’re deserving of this,” said head coach Matt Capriotti. “All that these players had to face, all of the work they’ve done, and with all the things going on around them, they pushed through and made it happen.”
Lloyd, the sophomore who got the win in relief and drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth, said the excitement he felt was not just for himself but for all of his teammates along with Grimes fans and alumni.
They had seen the Cobras slowly surrender a 4-0 lead built in the first inning when the first six batters reached base, a rally only halted when Dante Piraino struck out with the bases loaded.
Utica Notre Dame, who had won extra-inning games over top seed Beaver River and Fabius-Pompey just to reach the final, chipped away at Grimes’ lead with runs in four consecutive innings starting in the third.
By the sixth, the game was tied 5-5 and pitcher Owen Tierney had put two runners on base with one out. Ben Carroll, Grimes’ ace, was not available in relief since he had reached his pitch limit in the Cobras’ 4-0 sectional semifinal win over Morrisville-Eaton three days earlier.
Thus Lloyd took the mound and, though a run scored to put the Jugglers up 6-5, he got Antonio Padula to strike out with the bases loaded to prevent any further damage.
What followed in the bottom of the sixth will be long remembered by Grimes players and fans alike.
Sean Smith, the no. 9 hitter in the order, drew a leadoff walk. Piraino’s sacrifice bunt put Smith on second, and while Carroll struck out, Avery Pankow drew a four-pitch walk.
Tierney was up next and Bougourd, pitching for UND, forced him to pop up. It looked like the third out of the inning, but shortstop James Szynakowski dropped it and Smith scored to tie it 6-6.
Lloyd saw all this on deck and stepped to the plate. He said he was looking to drive it to the gap, but when Bougourd got two strikes on him he changed his approach, shortened his swing – and singled to right to score Pankow.
Now in the top of the seventh Lloyd had to protect a one-run lead. After walking Michael Fitzgerald, he struck out Nick Adorino and, on a 3-2 pitch, fanned Tom Carville before Bougourd swung at strike three to end it.
From its no. 2 seed, Grimes had leaned on its pitching throughout the sectional tournament, needing it in early-round wins over Cooperstown and Tully and then getting a fine all-around performance from Carroll in the semifinal against Morrisville-Eaton at Camden High School.
Carroll allowed six hits and three walks, but struck out seven and constantly made his way out of trouble. For its part, Grimes had just two hits off M-E pitches Riley Dooley and Michael Boyle, but one of them was a double by Carroll which led to a pair of RBIs.
Gary Brisson had the other hit, while Piraino, Smith and Tyce Haskins all turned walks into runs and Evan Zaccheo also scored, a team effort which was repeated against Utica Notre Dame with a sectional title at stake.
