A long struggle with a quick end

As the time neared 11 p.m. on March 29, the Blazers (3-1) finished a 4-hour slog against the Damascus Hornets to secure their second walk-off win 6-5. 

Blair began the game in the field, and from the start, Damascus batters hit powerful fly balls left and right. Senior pitcher Emmanuel Kraft, first baseman Sam Worley and outfielder Jack Bevington kept runners off the bases in the first inning. This defensive success extended into the third inning, as Worley and Kraft remained vigilant toward ground balls and steals near first base. 

The Blazers offense also showed great promise throughout the first few innings, finding gaps in the Damascus infield to score runs in the 1st inning (senior Andy Merrill) and 3rd inning (junior Aidan Niemerski). The Hornets, despite their powerful swings, failed to capitalize on the few mistakes the Blazers made early on. 

By the bottom of the fourth inning, Blair was maintaining their offensive tempo, but the scoreboard remained static. Sophomore Logan Stillerman made it to third base after exploiting a failed catch while on second, but three consecutive strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth prevented any further runs. 

Trouble began for Blair in the fifth and sixth innings. After a pitcher change from Kraft to senior Yasha Van Praagh, the power and distance that the Hornets had been showing all game finally started to pay off. A line drive into the far-right outfield earned Damascus their first point. A second followed soon after as a result of a hit into the far left outfield, tying up the game 2-2.

A clumsy run

Photo: A Damascus runner loses his footing as he runs past home base.

A Damascus runner loses his footing as he runs past home base. Photo courtesy of Cal Tobias.

As Blair’s lead shrank, so did their confidence, and the previously solid defense faltered disastrously. In the top of the 6th inning, a Damascus player on first base stole second, distracting Van Praagh enough to allow another runner on third to make a break for home base. A failed throw to home base gave the Hornets the lead for the first time in the game. 

Determined to be back on top, the Blazers doubled down on their efforts. Senior Alex Valdez, freshman Sebastian Guzman and Stillerman loaded the bases, and with Kendall Anderson up to bat, it looked as if they might recover. Two strikes and two fouls later, Anderson’s last chance to even the score ended with a strikeout. Junior Bryan Robinette was then hit by the Damascus pitcher, and the walk resulted in a run by Valdez. Although the bases were still loaded, Worley and Niemerski both struck out and ended Blair’s chance to get ahead for the moment. 

Although Blair's offense struggled to recover a lead, their defense regained their early game cohesion, especially in the infield. Senior pitcher Ben Respress, first baseman Kraft and third baseman Logan Stillerman made double plays in the seventh and eighth innings, keeping the game tied and energizing the Blair dugout with their quick reactions and impressive catches. 

Late in the game, the offense on both teams stalled, while their defenses had more success. Every time it seemed as if one side might take the lead, the defense or the pitcher would stop a runner on third or strike out a batter while the bases were loaded, respectively. In this way, the game dragged on into extra innings, until the top of the 11th inning when Damascus succeeded in scoring two runs with loaded bases. 

At the bottom of the night’s fourth extra inning, and down 3-5, it looked hopeless for Blair. No runners had been able to reach home plate since the bottom of the 6th. It seemed as if the game would never end. Niemerski hit a single, and then stole two bases to bring the score to 4-5. Kraft walked to first base, and then Valdez hit a RBI to allow Kraft and Guzman to bring Blair ahead 6-5, automatically winning them the game. The Blazers rushed onto the field in celebration, throwing helmets and bats in the air, knowing their longest and most hard-fought game yet was over.

After scoring the last run, Guzman had a much more positive outlook on the game. “We really stepped up our game in the last inning,” said Guzman.

Coach Eric Saul agreed but said the game could have been ended earlier. “We really need to work on our hitting… there were many times that we struck out when we could have clutched up,” Saul concluded.