Wild Win For Tarp Skunks
Bailey’s Dash Home Caps Comeback
Justin Bailey stumbled, swam and crawled home from third on a wild pitch as the Jamestown Tarp Skunks beat the Geneva Red Wings 9-8 in 10 innings of Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League action on a steamy Monday night at Diethrick Park.
“That was wild. I don’t think I’ve ever swam home to the plate,” Bailey said postgame. “We put two sports together here — swimming and baseball.”
The Tarp Skunks trailed 8-6 entering the bottom of the 10th and started with Danny Hosley on second base. A pair of wild pitches allowed Hosley to pull Jamestown within one before a strikeout and a walk to DiMaggio Cazares. After another strikeout, Cazares stole second.
“These guys are the best of friends,” Jamestown manager Jordan Basile said. “They live and die together. There was never any quit.”
Bailey then popped up a full-count pitch down the first-base line between home plate and the pitcher’s mound.
Confusion ensued as Red Wings pitcher Eli Shedd and first baseman Noah Reichman allowed the ball to drop and Cazares scored the tying run from second base.
“I don’t know who throws a 3-2 changeup. I was sitting fastball,” Bailey said. “Luckily that thing got down.”
“When I saw the pitcher look up, he wasn’t reacting to the ball. I knew only the first baseman or catcher could get to it,” Basile said. “The pitcher decided late to go get it. … The gods were with us tonight.”
Bailey eventually got to second base and with two strikes on pinch-hitter Justin Bowers, Bailey took off for third. The pitch got between the legs of Geneva catcher Mike Borrelli and Bailey rounded third for home. About halfway down the third-base line, Bailey slipped, falling to his hands and knees before he began crawling toward home. Shedd covered home, but the throw to the plate from Borrelli was mishandled.
“We knew we had two strikes on the hitter, so we forced the situation. … We’re hoping the catcher throws one into left field,” Basile said. “As soon as he took that turn he was going to score easy. Then he slipped three times and it wasn’t so easy.”
“It rained earlier and I had a little slippage,” Bailey added. “That’s why I swam home.”
As Bailey scrambled toward the plate, Shedd got to the ball and dove for a tag attempt, but Bailey’s hand found the plate just before Shedd’s tag.
“I was going. I messed up earlier. I should’ve caught a fly ball,” Bailey said. “I had to get my runs back … I let them down and I had to get it back.”
The 10th wasn’t the first time the Tarp Skunks were down to their final strike.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing 6-4, Chase Carlson walked with one out. Haiden Hunt followed with a walk, spelling the end of the night for Red Wings reliever Michael Moore. After Shedd struck out the first batter he faced, Carlson and Hunt executed a double steal to put the tying run at second base.
Luke Turner was the next Jamestown batter and swung late at the first two pitches from Shedd. After a foul ball, Turner finally got the timing right and drove a two-run triple into the right-center field gap to tie the game.
“That man just hits,” Bailey said of Turner. “It’s amazing to come out here with this crowd on a Monday night and get them rocking. It was electric.”
After the next batter was hit by a pitch, a popout to second base ended the inning.
Geneva took the lead in the top of the 10th. Phillip Bernstein started at second base, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Thomas Latham’s one-out RBI single. A lineout nearly ended the inning, but Latham got back to first base before getting doubled up. After an errant pickoff throw sent Latham to second base, Benjamin Griffin hit an infield single and Latham scored from second as the ball got away from the Tarp Skunks shortstop.
“It’s easy to say you have to be better,” Basile said, “but as long as they can find a way to do it I’m happy and we’re all happy.”
Those were the only two runs reliever Charlie Nichols allowed as he threw the final 4 1/3 innings, striking out six on the mound for the Tarp Skunks.
“Charlie did a good job of shutting it down,” Basile said. “He kept us where we needed to be to stay in the game.”
Nichols induced a flyout to center field ending the threat of any more runs scoring before Jamestown rallied in the bottom of the frame.
“This team is unbelievable,” Bailey said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re down 10 runs or we’re down two runs, we’re always going to find a way to come back and win the game.”
NOTES: Mark Tucker hit a two-run triple and Turner had an RBI single during a four-run fifth inning that gave Jamestown a 4-3 lead. … Brady Slinger had a two-run single in the first inning while Reichman, Elliot Good and Slinger had RBIs during a three-run sixth inning that gave Geneva a 6-4 lead. … Cade Swenson struck out six in five innings for the Tarp Skunks. … Attendance was 1,166.