Official Website of the 2009 FCSL Champions

Lightning End Regular Season in Walk Off Fashion

Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:15am

You couldn’t write a better script to Wednesday night’s game where the Lightning took on the Diamond Dawgs who have had their number all year.  Danny Baatz (UNC Asheville) had a night worthy of recognition; a highlight to his performance and consistency on the field all season.  “Tonight, all season long, he’s just had a tremendous year,” Coach Viola said of Baatz.  “He’s the one guy who came out from day one and just played his heart out all year, and that’s the type of ballplayer he is.”  Baatz collected his first hit of the night in the fifth inning, giving him a 15-game hit streak which ties the League record for consecutive games with a hit.  Baatz also proved why he has been one Coach Viola’s greatest players on the field, sporting the glove at first base with a tremendous catch in deep foul territory, having to reach over the fence off balance to make the grab.  With the game all tied up in extras, it couldn’t have been more fitting than to have Danny Baatz at the plate with a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the eleventh.  With two outs, Baatz would take an outside fastball down the right field line, scoring the game winner on a walk off single.

The Lightning went through several pitchers on the evening, Coach Viola wanting to give each pitcher one last opportunity to throw in a live game situation before playoffs.  “Everybody got their work in,” Viola said.  The Lightning had clinched the third place position with their win over the DeLand Suns Tuesday night, giving them the luxury of using several pitchers and having all arms ready for playoffs.

The Lightning gave up a single run in the each of the first four innings of the game, the Diamond Dawgs facing a different pitcher each inning.  The Lightning would match those runs however, putting up three runs in the second inning and two more in the fourth to claim the lead by one run.  In the second inning, the Lightning showed their clutch hitting, starting with Will Blankenship (West Virginia Wesleyan) who doubled down the left-field line with two outs.  Matt Pierpont (Winthrop) was then pegged by a pitch to put runners at first and second.  Adam Cellini (Belmont) came up with an infield single to collect an RBI, and in an attempt to get Cellini at first, the shortstop threw wild to first, advancing Pierpont to third and moving Cellini to second.  Robert Beary (South Carolina) then drove in both runners on a single through the left side of the infield.

In the fourth, the Lightning keyed on two errors by the Diamond Dawgs.  Michael Albaladejo (Florida Atlantic) started the inning off, reaching base on an errand throw by the third baseman.  Pierpont and Cellini then hit back to back singles to left field to load the bases for Beary.  Beary hit a deep sacrifice fly to right center, and with all three Lightning runners tagging, Albaladejo scored easily from third.  Pierpont and Cellini both advanced to third and second respectively, and a bad throw in from center would careen off the cut off man’s glove, Pierpont alertly taking home as the ball fell into no man’s land.

In the fifth inning, Baatz led off with his record 15-game hit streak single to left.  Baatz stole second base, and with two outs, Albaladejo hit a bloop single into shallow left-center, Baatz speeding around the bases to score the sixth run of the game.  However, the Diamond Dawgs were not giving up, down 6-4 going into the eighth.  The Diamond Dawgs plated one run in the eighth inning, and with two outs in the ninth, scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

In extras however, the Diamond Dawgs were shut down, going 1-2-3 in both the tenth and eleventh.  With two outs in the bottom of the eleventh, Baatz stepped to the plate, Beary standing on second after a successful steal.  It just seemed right that Baatz would be the one to hit the walk off, definitely deserving of the glory.  “This summer my approach has just been letting the ball travel and trusting myself, letting my hands work which is what I did on that last pitch,” Baatz said, referencing his opposite field hit that scored the game winning run.  “The pitch before was a slider, and I pulled off real bad,” Baatz said, “so I told myself ‘Alright, let it travel, let it travel’.  And then, of course, it was a fast ball away and I just let it get deep, and hit it the other way.”

As the Lightning move into a three day break before playoffs, they will look to once again make a run to the championship game.  Coach Viola was happy with the way the Lightning ended the regular season.  “The key tonight was, get some quality at bats, get some innings in, everybody’s confidence built up, and let’s make a run for it again starting Sunday.” 

Trey Garant (University of Michigan)