Robert Jeffrey

Sun Sports Contributor

sports@evesun.com

NORWICH – Being the beneficiary of the quiet Norwich Purple Tornado bats on Friday afternoon, the Seton Catholic Saints took control early and never looked back winning 5-1.

Facing tough opposition in the storied baseball program of the Saints, Norwich fought back early knotting the game at one apiece via a Marcus Cashman RBI double as JT Vinal came around to score. Alas, the feeling of relief for the NHS crew wouldn’t last as the Saints began to get a grip on the ballgame. First from the plate, and then from the mound.

Seton would scored three runs in the second frame before adding on another run in the fourth upping their lead to 5-1. Amassing 11 hits in the ballgame, the Saints found their groove in the top of their line-up as shortstop Leo Gallagher finished 4-for-4 in the game with a double, a run scored and a pair of RBIs. From the mound, Luc Pasquale finished with seven strikeouts on the afternoon throwing a complete game six-hitter preventing the NHS bats from getting any offense going aside from the first inning score.

“That’s probably the best defense we’ve played all year, I thought we came up against a really good hitting team” said NHS head coach Rich Turnbull, “They’re one of the better hitting teams in STAC.”

One day later, the Tornado played by far the most dramatic baseball game by this season as Norwich rallied from a deficit of 8-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning to eventual claim the 10-9 win over the Susquehanna Valley Sabers.

In the bottom of the fourth, Norwich hit three straight singles by batters Cashman, Eli Rodriguez and AJ Little. Cashman scored on Rodriguez’s base-knock. A walk by Justin Bates loaded the bases with one out in the inning before Brayden Suspensky drew a walk- driving in Rodriguez. Ending the scoring run in the inning was a Tanner Franklin fielder’s choice scoring Little, cutting the SV lead to 8-4 with plenty of baseball left to play.

A run by SV in the fifth ballooned the Saber lead to 9-4, Vinal scored off of a Rodriguez RBI in the bottom of the fifth cut the SV lead to four. This is precisely where the game took a turn for the dramatic as SV led 9-5 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Scoring five runs with two outs away in the inning- the Tornado had an absolutely incredible rally as each member of the NHS line-up came up huge. With Supensky and Mike Trevisani on first and second, Vinal rocketed one over the center-fielder’s head- legging it out for a two RBI triple.

With Cashman reaching base via the drop third strike rule, Rodriguez stepped into the box with runners at the corners and the score 9-7 in favor of SV. Ripping a pitch into right fielder, Rodriguez tied the game with his base-hit knock as an error by the SV rightfielder gave Cashman enough time to score from first and Rodriguez to move from first to third on the play. A wild pitch during Little’s subsequent at-bat gave NHS the lead and the eventual win as Rodriguez scored on the play.