By Jeff JHO Hoyland
These were two evenly matched teams and the first six innings provided a 1-1 tie going into the final inning. It was at this point that all kinds of thought go through your head about not being the one to blow the game for the team. And Bedford blinked first in the top of the 7th when a bloop popup in short center ended up with Bucs colliding and the ball falling to the ground. Wilmington ended up scoring on a hard shot to right field before Bedford calmed down and got three outs.
Then it was time for the Bedford seniors to show their mettle. Senior Connor Lussier walked up and down the bench looking each teammate in the eye and repeated, “We aren’t done yet, we aren’t done yet.” The rally started with senior Mike Adamik exploding a double to right-center. Speedy sophomore James McGinn went in as a pinch-runner for Mike. A passed ball put James on third. A walk to junior Matthew Carluccio put two runners on, when senior Jacob Wang singled to right, scoring McGinn and tying the score.
Even though the score was tied, Connor kept the bench alert chanting “We aren’t done yet, we aren’t done yet.” Senior Jackson Collins was given a free base on balls to load the bases. Next up was senior David Garber. David is one of Bedford’s best bunters. He laid down a beauty, which caught Wilmington completely by surprise, scoring Matthew Carluccio for the game-winner.
Bedford Buccaneers’ next playoff game is Monday at 6 pm at Morelli Field in Melrose, against Austin Prep, as AP blanked Newburyport 8-0
Images from Game 1 against Wilmington
Click this link to see Part 1 of Bedford Snapshots images from Game 1 of the Playoffs
Click this link to see Part 2 of Bedford Snapshots images from Game 1 of the Playoffs
All images below are (c) Jeff JHO Hoyland, 2018 all rights reserved – Click to view larger image