Wind, sun, rain.
Wednesday’s game between league VIII top dogs, Mattituck and Babylon, was a battle against the weather. The team that adapted best would come out on top.
Mattituck, playing behind a soaked home crowd, defeated Babylon, 6-5.
The wind was blowing viscously from right to left field causing the flag pole to bend and making the American flag give its best impression of a bobble head. Balls that were routine fly balls became mammoth shots.
Babylon’s Cole Middleton took James Nish deep in the first inning on a moonshot to left field that just caught a gust of wind. Nish would get his revenge in the bottom half of the inning as he too went yard, going to the opposite field.
Joe Tardif connected on a three-run home run in the second inning that didn’t seem like it had a chance off the bat. But sure enough, the wind took it and brought it to the others that enjoyed the ride to the other side.
“Joe Tardif hits a popup to third and it goes out,” head coach Steve DeCaro joked.
Mattituck (11-0 League VIII) sprung out to an early 6-1 lead. Everything was going their way until the sixth inning where the bases were loaded and Nish exited the game with one out. Victor Proferes got one out but as a result of a fielding error was unable to stop the bleeding. He was pulled and in came Chris Dwyer.
Believe it or not, the sun came out for the first time all game.
Two men were out, the bases were loaded and Babylon (9-2 League VIII) had tacked on four runs in the inning to make the score 6-5.
“We wanted Victor to stay in there,” DeCaro said. “He’s done such a great job for us but I wanted the ball in Dwyer’s hands.”
Dwyer quickly warmed up on the mound after coming in from his second base position.
“I’m not going to lie I was kind of nervous,” Dwyer said. “But all I was focusing in was throwing strikes. I wasn’t going to walk a run home cause that would be pretty bad.”
He threw three strikes. Each hit the glove.
“He’s the guy who we expect to do that,” DeCaro said. “He’s the guy who’s going to throw strikes. He wants the ball. He wants to be out there.”
After an empty Mattituck bottom of the inning, Dwyer went out to get the final three outs of the game.
The first batter doubled and advanced to third on a passed ball. Suddenly the tying run was on third base with no outs yet on the board.
Dwyer wasn’t rattled.
“I’m thinking get ahead in the count and don’t throw anything over the middle of the plate,” Dwyer said. “Hit the corners and do what I have to do. Ninety percent of the time that runner is scoring in baseball.”
The rain began to fall. With each pitch, it came down harder.
Dwyer eliminated the first threat with a strikeout. The next hitter hit a weak popup to shortstop Marcos Perivolaris. And with the count 3-2 on the final batter, Dwyer dropped in a curveball over the heart of the plate for “steeeeeerike three!”
The game may have ended but the rain continued to fall as Mattituck celebrated its 11th win in a row to remain undefeated.
“I’ll tell you what it was more like I don’t want to be out here anymore and if they tied it up we were going to win in extra innings,” DeCaro said. “I just knew we would win.”
The Tuckers will travel to Babylon on Friday for game three of the series.