Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 May 20, 2017 – Valhalla, NY
2017 marks Region XV's turn in the rotation to host the Eastern District Championships and as WCC hosts the national qualifier for the first time on the Valhalla campus. The double-elimination tournament features the winner from Region 21 (UConn Avery Point), Region 3 Champions (Mercyhurst) and Westchester.
Game 1 pitted Avery Point against the Vikings as the home team. The Pointers gave WCC fits early and often, putting runners on base each of the first two innings. Westchester was able to get out of two jams, but in the 3rd, Avery Point broke thorough with four runs. They tacked on two more in the fourth for a commanding 6-0 lead.
WCC knocked in their first run of the game when Jose Delacruz (George Washington HS/New York, NY) grounded out to score Steve Guzman (JFK HS/Bronx, NY). The Vikings struggled at the plate for the better part of the game as they only had six hits. The Pointers put the game out of reach in the seventh, extending their lead to 11-1, and went on to win game one 11-2.
Game 2 also went to UConn Avery Point as they bested the Mercyhurst 14-6.
The Vikings returned to action in game 3 as they took on Mercyhurst as the visiting team. WCC got on the board first with a run in the 2nd inning thanks to a Niko Haggerty (HS for Environmental Science/Bronx, NY) base hit that scored Alex Borman (Huntington HS/Huntington, NY). In the second, they tacked on another run on a Guzman's RBI groundout.
Scottie Giordano (Croton Harmon HS/Croton, NY) held Mercyhurst without a hit until the 4th inning, where he ran into some trouble. The Saints scored two to tie the game on a bases loaded HBP and a walk. Giordano was able to bear down and limit the damage though, keeping the game even.
In the top of the 5th, Borman broke the tie with an RBI single that sent home Felix Camacho (St. Raymond's HS/Bronx, NY). Bobby Wootten (Ardsley HS/Ardsley, NY), then came up and hit an RBI triple that cleared the bases to extend the lead to 5-2. Two more runs in the inning gave the Vikings a five run lead. In the 7th, Westchester plated three more runs on their way to a 10-2 victory to earn a spot in the championship game.
Scottie Giordano pitched seven solid innings, giving up two earned runs while allowing just four hits. Giordano also went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBIs at the plate. Brian Corporan matched that, going 2 for 4, with two RBIs on his two doubles.
With the win, the Vikings (1-1) now play at 11am on Sunday vs Avery Point (2-0) for a shot at qualifying for the College World Series. Since the Pointers were 2-0, WCC would have to beat them twice in order to advance. An if necessary game will be played 30 minutes after Game 4 should WCC take the first game.
