Box Score
GETTYSBURG, PA - Nathan Smith (Milford, NY/Cooperstown) scored the game-winning run in the ninth inning to carry Gettysburg over Catholic 9-8 in non-conference action on Tuesday.
The game appeared to be destined for extra innings, but Smith touched the plate when a two-out fly ball to center field off the bat of Brendan McDonald (Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union) was dropped. McDonald helped to pace the Bullets (16-16-2) with a 3-for-5 effort.
Nate Bashaw (Weybridge, England/Tasis England) chipped in a 3-for-4 performance with three RBIs and two runs scored. He was one of five seniors playing in their final home contest at Gettysburg.
Bernard Dennis, Justin Siller and Mark Soisson led the Cardinals (21-15) with two hits apiece.
The last-inning drama became necessary when Catholic, held scoreless through the first seven innings, broke out for eight runs in the eighth to take an 8-7 lead.
Gettysburg (16-16-2) tied the game at 8 in the bottom of the inning when Austin Ball (Farmingdale, NY/Hills East) scored on a wild pitch.
With the score knotted in the ninth, Smith pinch ran for Henry Mullen (Massapequa Park, NY/ Massapequa), who was hit by a pitch with two outs in the inning. Mullen advanced to second on a single by fellow senior Justin Steele (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) before being lifted for the pinch runner. McDonald followed with a fly ball to center that squirted out of the defender's glove, allowing Smith to score.
In the early going, it appeared that the Bullets would coast to an easy victory on the strength of a five-run second inning and a solid pitching effort from Brian Spicer (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield).
Gettysburg plated a single run in the opening frame on an RBI double by Mike Luteran (Livingston, NJ/Livingston), who 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
Taking the mound in the third with a 6-0 lead, Spicer kicked on the cruise control. He gave up one hit through the first seven, but ran into trouble in the eighth. The Bullets went to the bullpen three times in the inning. Tobin Whitman (Lyme Center, NH/Hanover) finally recorded the final out of the inning after eight Cardinals had crossed the plate. Pitching in his first collegiate game, he stayed on to pitch a scoreless ninth to record the win.
Gettysburg will end its season on Wednesday when it takes on sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. Game time is 3:30 p.m.
| Score by Inning |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
- |
R |
H |
E |
| Catholic (21-15) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
- |
8 |
10 |
3 |
| Gettysburg (16-16-2) |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
- |
9 |
16 |
3 |
Peter Doyle, Mark Werle (6), McClain Tini (9) and Bernard Dennis; Brian Spicer, Rob Borman (7), Chris Threadgill (7), Tobin Whitman (8) and Brendan McDonald. W: Whitman (1-0); L: Werle (1-2). SO-BB: Doyle 1-0, Werle 3-1, Tini 0-0; Spicer 5-4, Borman 0-1, Threadgill 0-0, Whitman 2-0. 2B: Daniel Conway (C), Mark Soisson (C), Nate Bashaw (G), Mike Luteran (G) and Brendan McDonald (G).
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