Somewhere in a stat book, this game will just be another 12-10 win. But don’t let the box score fool you—this one had everything. Eastern Baseball and Valley Forge threw haymakers at each other for nine innings Wednesday night at Griffith Field before the Eagles landed the final punch at the Cal Ripken Experience.
It took two late rallies—one in the eighth, one in the ninth—and a lockdown performance from Dylan Labukas to finally put this wild one to rest. Labukas (2-0) came on in the eighth and, well, that was pretty much the end of the story for Valley Forge. Six batters up, six batters down. Three strikeouts. Two groundouts. One completely exasperated opponent.
Of course, the Eagles (4-3) needed some offensive fireworks to even be in position for Labukas to do his thing. They pounded out 11 hits—three of them for extra bases. Thomas Kozlusky was everywhere, going 3-for-4 with two triples, including the one that set up the game-winning rally in the ninth. Matthew Gonglik? He tripled, too, and somehow found his way home four times. And then there was Leyton Bamesberger, who had a team-high three RBIs, because, well, someone had to.
And when it was all said and done, Eastern walked away with its fourth win of the season, and its second during Spring Break.
In Other Philly D-III Action
Neumann surged to a 22-7 victory over Elmira in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday in Myrtle Beach.Donovan Brooks led the Knights, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, five stolen bases, and five runs scored. Anthony Rakotz followed up with a 4-for-6 performance, adding a walk, a stolen base, three RBIs, and four runs scored. Tyler Kilmer also contributed offensively, going 3-for-6 with a double, a stolen base, four RBIs, and a run. On the mound, Gatlin Hovenstine earned the win in relief, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three.
