Second, two words.  Connor Reilly. Yes the same Connor Reilly who hit the game winning grand slam at Westfield Friday night had an incredible three home runs and seven RBI’s in this game. As big game performances go, this was enormous.

 

And how to describe this Woodson Cavalier baseball team? In a word, resilient. Tonight they had a lead early, lost the lead, came back to tie, went into extra innings, then took the lead again, McLean tied it again, then in the 9^th inning they took the lead for good winning 13-11.

 

For Woodson fans in attendance, who were boisterous throughout the game, this wild roller coaster ride began in the opening inning. After McLean’s starter, Sean Fitzgerald set down the Cavs in order, the Highlanders jumped to an early lead. Tyler Wislocki, starting pitcher for Woodson, easily retired the first two batters, Riley Biero and Fitzgerald. Josh Sborz reached on an infield hit then Chris Russo and Denis Buckley both reached on errors the second of which allowed Sborz to score. James Oldenberg then singled home Russo giving the Highlanders a 2-0 advantage.

 

The lead was short lived as Woodson’s Matt Patrick started the 2^nd with a walk. Reilly then drilled the first of his home runs over the fence in right and the game was tied at 2. In the home half of the 2^nd McLean recaptured the lead when the number nine hitter, Bruce Beatty, homered to right center. 

 

In the 3^rd, the Cavaliers took their first lead scoring 3 runs. Colin Dempsey started off the inning with an infield single. Brendan Breslin was hit by a Fitzgerald pitch putting runners on first and second. After, Fitzgerald struck out Finnerty, Patrick’s grounder up the middle forced out Breslin at second but the throw the first attempting to get Patrick for an inning ending double play was off line allowing Dempsey to score. That brought Reilly to the plate who drove a 2-0 pitch over the fence for his second 2-run home run in as many innings. Now with a 5-3 lead, Wislocki worked a quick 3^rd inning retiring the heart of the Highlander order on 7 pitches getting two ground balls to Breslin and one to John McGillicuddy.  

 

Woodson tacked on another run in the 4^th. David Rozner laced a double down the left field line sliding headfirst into second to beat the throw in. Ryan Lluy sacrificed Rozner over the third from where he scored on Ryan Fitzgerald’s single through the middle of the drawn in infield. 

 

In the bottom of the inning McLean edged back within two scoring a run on a two out double by Charlie Geiger and a single up the middle by Beatty. After four full innings the Cavaliers held a 6-4 lead.

 

Fitzgerald had his strongest inning of the game in the 5^th as he struck out the side. Fitzgerald’s performance seemed to spur on a rally by McLean as they scored 5 runs to take the lead. The inning began with a single by Fitzgerald off Wislocki. Coach Warren brought in Joe McGillicuddy to relieve Wislocki. McGillicuddy fielded Sborz comebacker to the mound and getting the lead runner out at second. Then the Highlanders unleashed an avalanche of hits with Russo stroking a single through the middle followed by three straight doubles by Buckley, Oldenberg and Jordan Ghannam. Following Ghannam’s hit Coach Warren moved John McGillicuddy to the mound from third and Joe Brendler entered the game as the third baseman. Geiger drew a base on balls placing runners on first and second. A wild pitch moved the runners up a base then Beatty’s bunt scored Ghannan. Suddenly Woodson found themselves trailing 9-6.

 

Down three runs entering the 6^th inning the Cavs had plenty of life left. They quickly tied the game when Reilly was hit by a pitch and then John McGillicuddy helped his own cause with a home run, his second in as many games. Sborz took over for Fitzgerald on the mound and promptly surrendered a single to right by Rozner. After retiring the next two batters, Dempsey and Breslin hit consecutive singles, the latter scoring Mitch Prosperi who was running for Rozner and the game was tied at 9-9.

 

Sborz hit a one out single in the bottom of the 6^th at which point the Cavaliers brought on their fourth pitcher of the evening, Bryson Hough. Hough got Russo to line into a double play and the game headed to the 7^th inning tied at 9.

 

Woodson was retired in order in the 7^th. McLean got a one out baserunner when Oldenberg reached on an error but the Woodson defense came through when Ghannam hit a sharp grounder to Patrick who started a nifty double play turn Patrick-to-Breslin back to Patrick. In the 8^th Ryan Lluy gave Woodson the lead with a solo blast over the fence in right center.

 

Down a run on the bottom of the 8^th the Highlanders rallied to tie it again. Geiger singled to lead off the inning. He was sacrificed to second by Beatty. Biero’s hard hit single through the middle put runners on the corners then a sacrifice fly to left center brought the tying run in. After an intentional walk was issued to Sborz, Hough got Russo out on a grounder to short.

 

Woodson surged ahead in the 9^th facing McLean’s Denis Buckley. Finnerty and Patrick each hit one out singles. Up stepped Reilly who worked a 1-1 count then hit his third home run, a 3-run blast to left center, providing a 13-10 lead and sending the loud Woodson crowd to their feet.

 

To their credit the Highlanders continued to battle to the end. Buckley singled to begin the bottom of the 9^th. He was erased on a double play Lluy-to-Breslin-to-Patrick. Ghannam walked then Geiger doubled scoring Ghannam. With the tying run at the plate in Bruce Beatty, Hough got ahead 0-2 then got Beatty to ground out to John McGillicuddy at third providing Woodson with a hard earned 13-11 win.

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