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Zarrillo's Walk-Off Sends SteepleCats to 4-3, 12-Inning Victory over Danbury

June 27, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - With two outs and the winning run 90 feet away, sophomore Vinny Zarrillo (Rutgers) blooped a fly ball toward shallow right center that barely avoided the leaping reach of the Danbury first baseman, falling to the ground to score freshman Jose Cuas (Maryland) and wrap up a 4-3, 12-inning, walk-off victory for the SteepleCats over the Westerners in a wild, rain-delayed NECBL Western Division showdown on Thursday night at Joe Wolfe Field.

Winners of four in a row, the SteepleCats (8-8) move back to .500 on the season for the first time in nine days and rise into third place in the West, while the Westerners (6-7) drop their second straight extra-innings affair in as many nights while falling into fourth place in the division.

With the last run of the game coming in the top of the sixth, both sides would put up zeroes through each of the ensuing five-and-a-half innings - with each team squandering opportunities here and there - sandwiched around a 44-minute rain delay that halted the start of the top of the ninth.

In fact, if not for a few base-running miscues by the Westerners - including one that ended the top of the 12th with a potential bases-loaded situation and another on a sacrifice fly attempt back in the sixth, as well as a 2-for-5 showing on the base paths for the visitors - North Adams might not have even been in the game at all.

But that wound up not being the case, as Cuas led off the bottom of the 12th with a single before stealing second. Then, following back-to-back strikeouts, Cuas would steal third to prompt an intentional walk.

With runners at second and third, Zarrillo poked the game-winner over the head of second baseman Joseph Runco, who leapt in the air and saw the ball pop in and out of his glove, allowing Cuas to tally the deciding run in walk-off fashion.

Sophomore southpaw Joeanthony Rivera (Barry) picked up the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and two hits, while Roberto Suppa took the loss in the 12th, allowing a run on two hits despite two strikeouts and a walk.

Lost in it all was the effort by the starters; freshman Mark Reece (Nevada) tossed five innings and yielded three runs on seven hits, while Danbury's Steven Green was impressive over six frames, yielding three runs - one earned - on five hits while striking out six.

But with both starters' days well behind, the game turned to the bullpen with the score tied at 3-3 from the sixth inning on. For North Adams, freshman Kyle Driscoll (Rutgers) was brilliant out of the ‘pen, offering five scoreless innings on two hits with five strikeouts, while Jamie Pashuck offered two scoreless frames, as did Ryan Carter for three, sending the game into extras.

For Zarrillo, the game-winner was his third hit of the night, finishing 3-for-6 to lead the home side, while Cuas also added two hits. The visitors saw Greg Pezzuto finish with three base knocks, while Daniel Spingola and Riley Palmer added two apiece.

North Adams did not wait long to take an early lead, getting to Green with a run in the bottom of the first thanks to an error. An inning later, the ‘Cats tallied one more unearned run on an RBI base knock from freshman Jacob Huckabay (UT-Pan American) to put the home side ahead, 2-0, after two.

But the Westerners got both of those runs right back in the third, as both Pezzuto and Spingola struck against Reece for back-to-back two-out RBI singles, tying the contest after three. North Adams edged ahead again in the fourth, as Zarrillo came in to score on a bases-loaded walk to move the ‘Cats back on top, 3-2.

In the sixth, however, Danbury built a strong start to chase Reece on a double and a single. Then, after a wild pitch from Driscoll tied the game, Eric Yavarone lifted a potential sacrifice fly out to center; but instead of a run-scoring fly ball, freshman Kyle Richardson (Notre Dame) came up with a game-saving outfield assist from center to gun down Spingola at the plate, prompting Driscoll's five-innign performance that carried the ‘Cats into the 11th.

North Adams whiffed on a few opportunities through the remainder of regulation and early on in extras, and Danbury nearly went ahead in the 12th after a hard-hit ground ball to third prompt a throw down to the plate. But freshman Garrett Tuck (UC San Diego) dove and kept the ball in the infield, gathered himself and threw home to retire the side against the aggressive Westerners, sending the contest to the bottom of the 12th where North Adams would promptly win it on Zarrillo's efforts.

The SteepleCats return to the road tomorrow, June 28, to round out their two-game regular season series against Ocean State in South Kingston, R.I. First pitch from Old Mountain Field is slated for 6:35 p.m.

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