Ripic's walk-off blast lifts Knights to win.
By: Brian Fees | Towanda Daily Review | May 11, 2012 | Photo courtesy Brian Fees
2012 NTL and District 4 News
WYSOX - Three times they were down to their last strike.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, Casey Huff faced a two-strike count, before getting a hit.
Brandon Dinelli faced a full count, before drawing a walk.
And finally Zack Ripic faced a full-count before delivering perhaps the biggest hit of his career.
Ripic drove a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the seventh over the centerfield fence to give the Black Knights a 4-2 victory over the Athens Wildcats on Thursday afternoon.
"I didn't know what was going to happen," Ripic said. "I just was happy to get a good piece of the bat on it."
Towanda knew what was at stake.
With the victory, Towanda remains atop the NTL East standings with one loss. They take on the Wyalusing Rams today, the other team atop the standings with one league loss.
"We really wanted to stay on top and have a shot at the NTL," Ripic said.
Towanda coach Bill Sexton knows how different it is going into the Wyalusing game coming off a win, rather than a close loss.
"Absolutely, you lose a tough game like this and have to turn around and play for the league championship," Sexton said. "Coming off a win like this, you just want to keep that momentum going."
All game long Chris Pack of Athens and Ripic were keeping the opposing team's hitters off balance.
Pack held the Black Knights to just four hits going into that seventh inning, and Ripic allowed just six Athens hits on the game, with both pitchers going the distance.
"I'm not used to going the full game," Ripic said. "It was good, it was great to get the win."
For Ripic, it was the first complete game performance of his career, and he knows that with the Rams coming to town, it was important.
"It was definitely great to go the whole game," Ripic said. "Now, we can have (Mason) Roof go tomorrow and we have (Sawyer) Strope. We have all the other pitchers rested and ready to pitch."
Athens had jumped out early in this one, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Adam McCauley scored, before Towanda tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Casey Huff scored.
The game stayed tied until the sixth inning, when Stag Shadduck came around to score for the Wildcats.
Knowing that nearly every game is a must win to reach the district playoffs, the Wildcats were three outs away as they entered the seventh inning.
Pack retired both Dylan Bates and Noah Huff, before Casey Huff singled with two strikes to keep the game alive.
"I thought our younger guys got good at bats," Sexton said. "Our freshman at eight and nine, they battled, and turned it back over to the top of the lineup and they came through."
Casey Huff knew he wasn't going to let himself be the last out.
"I kept telling myself there are two outs and I'm not going to let us lose a shot at the NTL," he said. "You never want to be that last out."
After Huff singled he promptly stole second with Brandon Dinelli at the plate.
Dinelli battled to a full count, before drawing a walk as Huff stole third.
"He (Dinelli) had a good fight," Ripic said. "He had a really good at bat. He had some really good at bats in the game."
With runners on the corner it was down to one of the best hitters in the league as Ripic stepped to the plate.
Ripic faced a full count and he barely stayed alive getting a piece of a breaking ball, before he delivered the game-winning hit.
"I was shaking that whole at bat," Ripic said. "I have never been more nervous. This was definitely one of my biggest hits. What else came to mind was sophomore year, district semis. But, this was probably the biggest for me."
Standing at third base, Huff knew that his fellow senior was going to deliver.
"I was trying to get as big of a jump as possible and if the ball was in the dirt I was scoring," Huff said. "I hoped he'd get a hit, actually I knew he'd get a hit."
Sexton knows how big this game was for his team.
"It's exactly the kind of game we need to play this time of year," he said. "Down to the last strike a couple of times. We got good at bats out of Casey with the hit, Dinelli working the count and an excellent at bat by Ripic.
"It was just a great game all the way around for Zack. He had the big hit and it was obviously the best game he's ever thrown for us."
Ripic struck out six, walked two and allowed six hits and two runs, one earned, in the victory. Pack struck out one, walked three and allowed six hits and four runs, all earned, for the Wildcats.
Casey Huff had two hits, scored two runs and stole three bases and Ripic had the three-run home run. Roof had an RBI and Austin Markel and Nick Place each had hits.
McCauley had a hit and scored a run for Athens and Justin Schlosser and Trey Patton each had hits, while Mike Estes had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. Shadduck scored the run for Athens in the game.
Towanda now hosts Wyalusing today, while Athens is at Northeast Bradford.
"Hopefully we can come out and actually hit the ball right from the beginning," Casey Huff said. "I think today is the day we turn over a new leaf and start to hit the ball better." "I hope this gets us going," Ripic said of the win.
Wellsboro 11, CV 1, 6 innings
Dylan Prough was 4-for-4 with four RBI and two triples in the victory.
The game broke open with a three-run fifth inning by Wellsboro, who added five more in the sixth. In the fifth Prough hit a shot to the outfield and two CV outfielders collided, needing to be taken out of the game.
Brandon Owlett had three hits, with two RBI a double and a triple and Ben Shaw had two hits with a home run for Wellsboro.
Dan Saniga got the victory for the Green Hornets.
Josh Nudd had a hit and scored CV's run.
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