Senators Tie Series
COVINGTON, Va. - It took more than four hours and 13 innings, but Haymarket evened the 2009 Lineweaver Cup at one game apiece with a 8-3 win over Covington Sunday evening.
Mike Demma scored the winning run for the Senators (27-23, 5-1 playoffs) when he drew a one-out walk in the top of the 13th off of Ryan Shook (0-1), advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home on a Jim Vahalik single up the middle.
Haymarket tacked on four more runs in the frame despite getting just one more hit to earn the win over the ‘Jacks (26-25, 5-2). Tom La Stella had that hit, a two-run single that made it 8-3.
The Senators victory means the two teams will return to Covington on Tuesday for game four - game three is Monday night at Battlefield High School in Haymarket.
The extra-inning heroics were necessary as Covington erased a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the third. These runs, which answered one Senators run in the first and two more in the third, represented the last scoring until Vahalik drove home Demma.
Vahalik's shot also made a winner of Mike Suschak (1-0), who struck out 11 in his five-inning relief appearance.
Both teams had their chances prior to the 13th- Haymarket loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh and one out in the 11th only to see the ‘Jacks get out of it with a strikeout and a double play, respectively.
Covington had its opportunity in the 12th when it put runners on first and second with no outs. Unfortunately for the home fans, Suschak sandwiched Sherman Johnson and Ryan Durrence strikeouts around Lammar Guy getting eliminated in a rundown between second and third.
Guy, who had led off with a single up the middle and then stole second base, was caught trying to advance to third on a ball that got slightly away from Vahalik behind the plate. Vahalik got to the ball quickly and after his relay throw to third beat Guy to the bag, Guy attempted to return to second base where Zeth Stone placed the tag upon him.