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Baseball Warehouse Indians Purple Win Back-and-Forth Nailbiter at Agostinelli Memorial Tournament

by Trevor Dugan

A back-and-forth game between Dodger Nation Anzano and the Baseball Warehouse Indians Purple ended with a dramatic bases loaded walk-off at the Antonia Agostinelli Memorial Tournament Saturday afternoon. The intense tournament matchup featured five lead changes and several clutch extra base hits from both sides. 

Donovan Gilmartin of Centereach High School started on the mound for Dodger Nation, while the Indians went with Nic Acquaviva from Spotswood High School. 

Dodger Nation took an early lead in the top of the first inning in unconventional fashion. Niko Samaras got on board with a one out single as his team’s first baserunner of the game, then got into scoring position by stealing second and third. He would come around to score on a balk to give Dodger Nation a 1-0 advantage. 

The Indians erased the slim deficit immediately in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff groundout, a HBP and back-to-back singles loaded the bases for Chris Cardinoza from North Brunswick High School. He came through with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1, and the bases remained loaded with just one out. The next batter suffered the second HBP of the inning, earning a painful RBI and putting the Indians on top 2-1. Dodger Nation SP Gilmartin recorded the next two outs to avoid a huge inning, but the Indians had reclaimed the lead as quickly as they had given it up. 

In the top of the second, Dodger Nation was able to manufacture another unorthodox run to tie the game at two runs apiece. After two straight ground outs to start the frame, it looked as though Acquaviva was on his way to a shutdown inning. However, Jack Buckley reached on a throwing error that allowed him to advance to second, then moved to third on a passed ball. The next batter walked, and was caught in a rundown between first and second. During the ensuing rundown, Buckley was able to scoot home before the runner from first was tagged out, tying the game at two. 

Both starting pitchers appear to settle in following the top of the second. Each SP threw two consecutive scoreless frames after shaky starts, surrendering nothing but a few walks. The score remained tied at 2-2 between the bottom of the second and the top of the fourth. 

It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth that either side pushed across another run. The Indians were able to strike for three runs to take a 5-2 lead into the fifth inning. After a strikeout by Gilmartin to begin the inning, Mason Mule started the Indians’ rally with a triple to right center field. Jack Whitlock walked to put runners on the corners, and was promptly caught in a rundown as the Indians executed a first and third play of their own. While Whitlock was running between first and second, Mule broke for the plate and just barely beat the throw home to break the tie and give the Indians their first lead since the bottom of the first. 

Two more runs would score in the fourth for the Indians, one coming on a screaming double down the left field line by Corbuin Awan of Old Bridge High School. Awan was driven in immediately by Josiah Porter, putting the Indians up 5-2 going into the fifth.

Dodger Nation wasn’t going to go down easy, however. They pulled to within one run in the top of the fifth thanks to some clutch hitting by Steven Frias of Uniondale High School. Two strikeouts and two walks brought Frias to the plate with two men on and two out. He came up big, lacing a triple down the right field line to drive in both runners and cut the Indians’ lead to 5-4. 

Aiden Miller from Bellmore JFK High School entered in relief for Dodger Nation in the bottom of the fifth and looked sharp right away. The LHP fired a 1-2-3 shutdown inning to bring Dodger Nation right back to the plate in the top of the sixth. With the time limit looming, they needed at least one run to avoid losing their first game of the Agostinelli Memorial Tournament. 

The Dodger Nation offense came through when they needed to, scoring twice in the top of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the final inning. Anthony Anzano led off with a single, then Aiden Kloceck ripped a line drive that deflected off of the third baseman’s glove and ended up as a double. Next to the plate was Jeremy Leone from Holy Trinity High School. He delivered a double to the opposite field that scored both base runners and put Dodger Nation back on top once again. 

Josiah Porter entered in relief at this point for the Indians, and was able to strand Leone in scoring position by recording three straight outs. The Indians would have one final chance in the bottom of the sixth to stave off defeat in this wild tournament matchup. 

Miller came back out for Dodger Nation to try and close it out, and it appeared he would get the save with ease as he quickly retired the first two batters of the inning. However, down to their final strike Robbie Senape knocked a single up the middle to keep the Indians alive. Jack Whitlock followed this up with a single of his own, then Corbin Awan worked a seven-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs for Josiah Porter. Already with one RBI, Porter came through once again with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 6-6. 

Next to the plate was cleanup hitter Jeremy Henderson with a chance to walk it off. Henderson had been just missing all game, fouling pitches off and battling through some tough at-bats. This time he came through when it mattered most, roping a ball off the fence in left field to deliver a walkoff victory for the Indians and cap off an incredibly competitive game. 

After their dramatic victory, Josiah Porter feels good about the Warehouse Indians’ chances going forward in the Antonia Agostinelli Memorial Tournament. 

“I think as a team we’re getting stronger,” Porter said. “We should be able to keep getting wins and hopefully win the tournament.”