Two Seventh Inning Walk-Off Wins Sweep Baseball Past Dowling, 3-2 and 7-6.
Box Score Game One
Box Score Game Two
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (March 27, 2010) – Two seventh-inning comebacks were capped by walk-off hits by senior outfielder Mike Callaghan (East Meadow, N.Y.), as the C.W. Post baseball team posted two victories over Dowling College, 3-2 and 7-6, in East Coast Conference baseball action on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers improve to 9-6-1 overall and 7-1 in conference play, while Dowling slides to 9-9 and 4-4 in ECC play.
The first game was an outstanding pitching matchup as senior Pioneer hurler Pete Budkevics (Deer Park, N.Y.) threw a no-hitter and did not allow an earned run while striking out eight and walking three, improving to 3-0 on the season.
Dowling scored in the second as Dan Pembroke (Shoreham-Wading River, N.Y.) reached on an infield error, moved to second on a fielder's choice, then third on a passed ball. Another infield error allowed Pembroke to score, but Budkevics got a strikeout and induced a pop up to second to end the inning.
Frank Intagliata (Franklin Square, N.Y.) led off the third with a walk, and with one out, stole second base. Eddie Squeri (Shirley, N.Y.) followed with a groundout to second base, but first baseman Brian Anderson's (Nesconset, N.Y.) attempt to throw Intagliata out at third got away from third baseman Kevin Chenicek (Levittown, N.Y.), and Intagliata raced home with Dowling's second run of the game.
The Pioneers chipped away in the fifth as senior left fielder Kyle Dean (Southbury, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Freshman second baseman Casey McKay (North Massapequa, N.Y.) singled to left field, and both runners advanced a base on a passed ball. Senior shortstop Bryan Bonin (Commack, N.Y.) grounded out to second to score Dean and make the score 2-1 in favor of Dowling.
In a dramatic bottom of the seventh, McKay was hit by a pitch with two outs. David Saldana (Deer Park, N.Y.) came on to pinch run for McKay, and freshman Zach Graczyk (Carmel, N.Y.) worked a walk to put the winning run on base. Bonin singled to right field to load the bases for Callaghan, who sent the first pitch he saw into deep left center field for a walk-off double that gave C.W. Post the improbable 3-2 victory.
But the Pioneers were not done with magical late-inning comebacks for the day, and despite starting out game two facing a 4-0 deficit after the first inning, The Pioneers used a five-run second inning of their own to get back into the game. With the bases loaded, Dean walked to drive in the first run, followed by an RBI groundout to second base by McKay. Graczyk grounded a ball to the shortstop to plate another run, but the throw was errant, allowing Dean to score from second to tie the game and Graczyk advanced all the way to third base. Bonin's groundout to the pitcher scored Graczyk and gave C.W. Post a 5-4 advantage.
Solid in relief were Ryan O'Kelly ((New Hyde Park, N.Y.) and Michael Behar (Staten Island, N.Y.), who each worked two innings. O'Kelly allowed one run on three hits, and Behar shut down the Golden Lions while scattering three hits as well.
Dowling scratched out a run against reliever Marshall Kapson (Commack, N.Y.) in the sixth, on a double by Intagliata and an RBI single from Squeri.
After Graczyk pitched a scoreless top of the seventh, the stage was set yet again for a Pioneer comeback. Dean drew a leadoff walk, and McKay followed with a perfect sacrifice to advance Dean to second. With two outs and Dean on second, Bonin ripped a single to center field, scoring Dean, then took second base on the throw to the plate on a heads up baserunning play.
Callaghan again ripped the first pitch he saw over the Dowling left fielder's head, completing his seventh inning heroics with his second walk-off hit of the day as Bonin easily scored from second base.
Bonin and Callaghan made a winner of Graczyk, who tossed one inning and allowed only one hit to improve to 1-1 on the season.
Bonin had five hits and three RBI on the afternoon, going 3-for-4 in the first game and 2-for-4 in the second to pace C.W. Post at the plate. Dean scored three runs on the day and went 2-for-2 in the first game.
The Pioneers look to continue their winning ways tomorrow as they travel to Dowling for a noon doubleheader, with the second game making up Friday's postponed contest.