Box Score (Suffern, NY) - If the opening game of the 2018 NJCAA Region XV Baseball playoffs is a sign of things to come, fans in attendance will be offered seats to each and every game, but they may only need the edge. During game one, Westchester Community College fell behind 8-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, tied the game, then trailed 10-9 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, only to rally once again, as the Vikings survived a heroic effort by the fourth-seeded Colts to win 11-10.

With the win, Westchester improves to 26-10 this season. More importantly, the Vikings advance to the Region XV winner's bracket of the double elimination tournament. Instead of having to play at 10:00 a.m. on Friday after an exhausting game for the right to continue their season, WCC will now play the winner of the #2/#3 game between Rockland Community College and Dutchess Community College at 5:00 p.m.

To say it was not easy could be the understatement of the season as Orange CC sought to not only pull off an enormous upset, but for a stretch a mercy-rule shortened victory seemed in the cards. The Colts qualified for the Region XV Tournament during the final game of the regular season, but at no point played that way. Orange opened the game with a two-run first inning, scored three more times an inning later, and then a three-run third inning appeared to blow the game wide open with Orange leading 8-0.

But, from that point on, the Colt bats were slowed down just in time for the Viking bats to heat up.

In the bottom of the third inning, Westchester loaded the bases, and consecutive singles by James Houlahan (Yorktown Heights, NY/Lakeland HS) and Paul Franzese (Somers, NY/Somers HS) made it 8-2. Christian Lovecchio (North White Plains, NY/Valhalla HS) was hit by a pitch to make it 8-3, and then Bobby Wootten (Ardsley, NY/Ardsley HS) made it an 8-5 game with a two-run single. CJ Sager (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac HS) brought home a run by reaching on an error to make it 8-6, and Jose Delacruz (New York, NY/George Washington HS) made it an 8-7 game with an RBI single.

The comeback was completed. - albeit temporarily - when Delacruz was caught stealing second base, but Sager swiped home on the attempt to make it an 8-8 game, and the two teams headed to the top of the fourth inning tied.

After a scoreless top of the fourth inning, Westchester took the lead in the bottom of the frame when Sager singled home Franzese with two outs to make it a 9-8 game.

But the Colts would not go down quietly. Orange scored runs during the top of the fifth and top of the sixth innings to take a 10-9 lead, just in time for the Viking bats to go quiet for three straight innings, and as the game headed to the bottom of the eighth inning, Orange seemed prime for the upset.

But Westchester had one final serge left in them. Scottie Giordano (Croton, NY/Croton-Harmon HS) led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a triple. A wild pitch brought home Giordano to tie the game at 10. With two outs, Westchester loaded the bases, and another wild pitch brought home Franzese to give the Vikings an 11-10 lead. The top of the ninth would yield no runs for Orange, and Westchester celebrated an improbable win.

Franzese had a monster day for the Vikings. Not only did he go 1 for 3, with an RBI and three runs scored (including the game-winner), but his efforts on the mound may have saved the Vikings post-season aspirations. He pitched two near-perfect innings to earn the win, surrendering no runs or hits, striking out two, and walking only one batter. Franzese has now appeared three times this season on the mound, and during a combined 4.1 innings of work, he has only one base-runner, earning two wins in the process.

Also for WCC, Sager and Sean Vanegas (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael) each had two hits, while Wootten drove in two runs.

The Vikings played in the opener of the Region XV tournament so they will not know Friday's opponent until the nightcap ends. Final game stats and information for Friday's game will be posted as soon as they are available.