As the darkness loomed in the background of the extra inning tie game, it was up to Brian Norton to shed some light on the situation.
In the ninth inning with the game knotted at four and the sun setting over third base, Norton, who was ahead in the count, launched a shot past the right fielder’s glove.
Scoring on the play was Nick Norden as the Bulldogs posted a 5-4 victory over the visiting Bogota Buccaneers.
"It’s something you dream of to come up in a tie game and get the game winning hit," said Norton. "I’m just happy I was able to come through and get a hit. I was looking for a good pitch."
It was a wild one at Dwight Englewood, but Norton and company never gave up. The outcome might have been different a year ago, but D-E coach Rich Muller has witnessed great strides from the moment he took over a few years ago to the respectable program it is today.
"This year the fact that we have a new pitching machine has helped us tremendously, but it has a lot to do with each individual’s positive attitude," said Muller. "They work hard, never give up and never keep their heads down. They have that fighter’s mentality and it’s really awesome to see."
A key to the Bulldogs season has been the freshmen and their ability to fit into Muller’s system and contribute.
Left fielder Mike Pacheco, one of the newcomers, has stepped up for the Bulldogs, pitching in relief for the win, and he also drove in a couple of runners.
"The turning point was when we started hitting and it gave us confidence that translated throughout," said Pacheco. "We didn’t make a lot of errors and I was able to pitch strikes."
It was trouble for the Bulldogs right off the bat, as starter Norton struggled to find the strike zone with pitches sailing in at eye level. He walked the first two batters of the game and the two came around to score off throwing errors.
Norton took a deep breath, gained his composure as he walked off the mound and came back the next inning to strike out the side.
"I just threw strikes and they missed them" said Norton. "I started to get locked in and I kept telling myself to keep throwing.
The Bucs tacked another run on the board in the third inning off a Bulldog error to jump out to a 3-0 lead. The Bulldogs never gave up, as there was still much bark left in their bite.
The bats awoke in the fourth inning with first baseman Reynold Graham singling to the right side of the infield. He then stole second base and was awarded third on a balk by Bucs pitcher James Appleton.
Next came the first of Pacheco’s RBI’s with a hard hit grounder to second base.
"He was throwing curveballs, but I saw it was a fastball and I was able to muscle it to the right side," said Pacheco.
Second baseman Brian Zeller hit a ball right to the Bogota second baseman, but it was misplayed and thrown away. This allowed Pacheco to come around and score easily to narrow the Buc lead to 3-2.
"I was just trying to poke one through the infield," said Zeller. "I knew it was a curveball and I was able to take it to the right side, which kind of brought us back into it."
"We just need to do better on defense," said Bogota shortstop Alex Garcia. "We made a lot of mistakes and it cost us. We need to be more efficient."
Norton took care of the rest striking out 10 Bucs, as he baffled batters with pinpoint precision and intimidating accuracy.
Action commenced in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Bulldogs tied the game with a Pacheco line drive base hit to right which scored shortstop Will Benenson.
"We worked as a team and when we battled back it exemplified our work ethic," said Zeller.
After the tied game went into the eighth inning, the Bucs put the pressure on the Bulldogs. With one out right fielder Justin Appleton reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and moved to third on a balk.
A flare to short right field was caught, so Bogota looked towards pinch hitter John Fabian Pierce.
On a 2-1 count the pinch hitter got a hold of one and sent the ball blazing past the shortstop to score in the potential game winning run, as the Bucs took a 4-3 lead.
Bogota could not get that timely hit to pad its lead, leaving 10 stranded, including two in the eighth.
"We were working the count, but we couldn’t get that one pitch that we could drive," said Garcia.
Benenson started the Bulldog rally with a lead off double and after stealing third, Norton shot a ball through the second base hole to once again knot the score 4-4.
Pacheco came in to relieve Norton and was able to strike out the side, yielding only one hit.
"It was an emotional ninth after Pacheco struck out the side," said Muller. "During the huddle our slogan was to go for the jugular."
That’s what the Bulldogs did, turning to pinch hitter Joe Fisher, who rifled a single to left field. Norden moved the runners over with another hit to left field. After a pop out, walk and ground out the bases were packed with Bulldogs and two were out.
On a 1-0 count relief pitcher Luis Pena left a pitch over the strike zone and Norton pounced on it, sending a shot to right field, scoring the winning run as his teammates mobbed him at first base.
"We have great chemistry," said Norton. "Everyone is very congratulatory and encourages each other and that’s an important aspect in the way we practice and play."
