Breakers Walk-Off on Franquiz's Heroics
In an intense matchup on Friday at Mashashimuet Park, the Southampton Breakers emerged victorious with a walk-off win in the bottom of the eighth inning, edging out the Sag Harbor Whalers by a final score of 11-10.
The game got off to an exciting start as Josh Parks (Keystone) homered in the top of the first, giving the Whalers an early 1-0 lead. However, the Breakers had a remarkable third inning, where they exploded for six runs. John Vitucci (Seton Hall) executed a sacrifice bunt, followed by an RBI single from Martin Marintchev (Renssealer Polytechnic Inst.) and Tyler Burke (William & Mary) getting an RBI fielder's choice. A double steal resulted in another run for the Breakers, and Kenneth Franquiz (New Haven) and Ty Gilligan (Dominican) both contributed with RBI doubles. After the third inning, the Breakers held a comfortable 6-1 advantage.
The Whalers fought back and managed to score a run in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of a throwing error that allowed AJ Lausten (St. Johns) to cross the plate, reducing the deficit to 6-2. Southampton responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Mitchel Johnson (Catholic U), maintaining a 7-2 lead.
However, Sag Harbor staged a remarkable comeback in the top of the seventh inning, facing a six-run deficit with just three outs remaining. They showed incredible resilience as Josh Parks delivered an RBI single, and with the bases loaded, Gabe Caso (Northampton CC) drew an RBI walk. Keano Suarez (Central Florida) then stepped up to the plate and unleashed a clutch three-run double, tying the game at 7-7. An RBI single from Wyatt Benson (Hope International) gave the Whalers a 8-7 lead, completing a stunning six-run inning.
The Breakers refused to be outdone, as Mitchel Johnson's solo home run in the bottom of the seventh tied the game once again, now at 8-8. The see-saw battle continued in the eighth inning, with the Whalers adding two runs on sacrifice flies by Mark Henshon (Brown) and Caso, regaining a 10-8 advantage.
However, Southampton remained resilient, staging another comeback in the bottom of the eighth. With two men on and two outs, Tyler Burke delivered a game-tying double, knotting the score at 10-10. The stage was set for Kenneth Franquiz, who already had a standout performance, to deliver the walk-off heroics. Franquiz came through with an RBI single, securing the 11-10 victory for the Breakers.
