Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GAME ONE BOXSCORE GAME TWO BOXSCORE
The Keuka College baseball team showed a flair for the dramatic during Saturday afternoon's doubleheader with Lancaster Bible College, getting a walk-off home run from junior Gavin Corbin (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) to win game one and using a bases-clearing triple from sophomore Jon Borchert (Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington) to complete the sweep.
The Storm (5-16, 3-7 NEAC) won 6-5 in game one and 10-9 in game two on a blustery afternoon at Kuhl Field as senior Keith Prestano (Queens, NY/Xaverian) and the Storm picked up a pair of emotional wins on Parents' and Senior Day.
Corbin blasted a solo home run over the left-center field fence to cap the first game after the Storm let Lancaster Bible rally from a 5-3 deficit heading into the seventh inning.
The Chargers (7-20, 1-9) pushed across two runs on an error and a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 5 heading into the bottom of the inning. But Corbin crushed the third pitch he saw for his first-career walk-off home run at any level to set up a massive celebration at home plate.
"The wind was blowing in so hard today that I figured there was no way I'd be able to hit it out of the park, so I went up just trying to get a single and get on base," Corbin said. "But I got a really good swing on a fastball up in the zone and hit it over the fence. We all really wanted to win both of these games on Senior Day for Keith, he's our captain, he's our leader and he deserves to get more great wins like this."
Borchert was 2-for-3 with two runs scored while Corbin and sophomores Conner Anderson (Missoula, MT/Sentinel), Dylan Thomas (Kent, OH/Theodore Roosevelt) and Tommy Drumm (Oswego, NY/Oswego) added RBI's for the Green and Gold.
Anderson swiped a pair of bases while Prestano added a stolen base for Keuka. Junior Kyle McVannan (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) earned his first win with Keuka, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits in the complete game.
In the nightcap, Keuka led 3-2 heading into the fourth until Matt Taliercio hit a two-run home run for a 4-3 lead. An RBI single from junior Justyn Schuck (Hammondsport, NY/Hammondsport) tied the score in the bottom of the inning, but the Chargers got that run back in the fifth.
Tailercio hit his second homer of the game in the sixth as part of a two-run inning as Lancaster took a 7-5 lead, and added his third homer of the game, a two-run shot, to put the Chargers ahead 9-5 going into the bottom of the seventh.
Drumm laced a two-run single to pull the Storm within 9-7, and with two outs, Borchert took a fastball up in the zone towards the opposite field. Drumm and Thomas scampered around the bases with the tying runs, and Schuck scored all the way from first to complete the thrilling come-from-behind win.
"I knew that if I hit it right, all three of the base runners could come around to score," Borchert said. "When I hit it, I knew it was going to the gap. It's such a great feeling to get these two walk-off wins; we're definitely clicking and coming together at the right time."
Freshman Billy McDermott (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Drumm was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Prestano, Corbin, Borchert and freshman Tom Fowler (Batavia, NY/Elba) each added two hits for the Storm.
"We've been hitting really well these last few games and hopefully we're able to keep it up and get more wins like we did today," Prestano said.
"This is an unbelievable feeling. These guys are all my best friends and we work so hard, to come away with a pair of dramatic wins like this is just the best. I'm so proud of our team."
The Storm host SUNYIT at 1 p.m. Sunday.