HAGERSTOWN, Md – When it came down to it, James Ortiz stuck with the basics.
“First thing I did was just breathe,” said North Hagerstown’s shortstop.
Good thinking. After all, he found himself in a spot that would have left others breathless.
Bases loaded … Two outs … 3-2 count … in a 2-2 game in extra innings. Breath in.
Just after exhaling, Ortiz connected with the pitch from Boonsboro pitcher Garrett Ward, lining it up the middle and into center field to score Jordan Gingerich from third on Thursday to give the Hubs a 3-2 win in eight innings.
“I kind of wanted to hit it,” Ortiz said. “I didn’t want to walk to end the game. I just threw my hands at it and trusted myself to put up the middle.”
What else could you ask for to end a game that basically became a two-week long epic.
It was the season-opener that was suspended by rain on March 20 with North leading 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. It became only the second game out of seven that North has been able to complete – avoiding weather and darkness – this spring.
North had a 2-0 lead before Boonsboro nicked Hubs pitcher Joey Dorsey for two tying runs n the seventh. After reliever Tristan Stiffler set down the Warriors in the eighth, North got back to business.
Ward got two outs to start the inning but walked Gingerich – the No. 9 hitter – and Eli Brown consecutively. Then, after a balk advanced the runners, Mat Mallardi was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Ortiz ran his at bat to a 3-1 count before taking the second strike, causing him to shrug.
“(Coach Justin Lewis) said, I trust you. Take the ball here, so it’s 3-2,” Ortiz said.
A take was off the table for the payoff pitch.
“Just breathe,” said Ortiz about his thought process. “Breathe to get myself calm. Then step in the box, you know, make a good swing on it and put it in play.”
It made for the best possible outcome in a game that was basically out of mind for two weeks.
“It was tough, considering last night, we played Oakdale and had a good game there,” Ortiz said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t come with the win. Coming into today, it was a little hard to get momentum, but, thankfully, we found enough to win.”
North started the game protecting a 1-0 it earned in the first inning on March 20. Starting pitcher Darion Gaskins, who returned to the mound to resume the game on Thursday, walked four Hubs in the first inning with Cole Bratburn coaxing the last one for the RBI.
Dorsey took the mound to start the third, replacing original starter Jackson Coulter for his first appearance of the season.
Gaskins and Dorsey locked into a scoreless duel into the sixth inning before Gaskins was lifted for Ward because of pitch count. Gaskins allowed one infield hit – to Mallardi in the fifth – and only three baserunners in four innings of Thursday’s restart.
Gaskins exited for Ward with two outs in the sixth with Coulter on first via a fielding error. Overall, he went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit with five walks and nine strikeouts.
Ward entered and fired a wild pitch to move Coulter to second before walking Blake Custer. Gingerich singled to drive North’s second run for a 2-0 lead.
Dorsey was in command until the seventh inning with four no-hit innings of work with two walks and two strikeouts.
“He had a good first start of the season. His breaking balls was working well today,” said Ortiz, who watched Dorsey work from his shortstop position. “He was working off the outside corner and just pitched the contact to let defense take over.”
Dorsey got out of rhythm in the seventh to allow Boonsboro to tie the game.
Evan Tall led off with a single to left, took second on a wild pitch and advanced on Rhett Springer’s grounder to first before scoring on Justin Wilt’s single to left.
Carter Javckson and Parker DeBaugh followed by reaching with one out to load the bases to set up Logan Atkinson’s game-tying to left.
Then Stiffler and Ortiz combined to secure the win for the Hubs.
North only managed two hits for the entire game, but still left 10 runners on base, including two bases-loaded situations. Tall ended with two of Boonsboro’s four hits in the game with two of the hits coming on March 20.
