Six-Run Fifth Inning Propels Northwest Past Wootton, 10-9

Down by five runs in the fifth inning against five-time defending division champion Wootton, the Northwest baseball team needed more than a few hits to overcome its daunting deficit.

It needed luck.

Northwest's Steven D'Amato led off the bottom of the fifth with a seemingly routine fly ball to center field, but Wootton’s center fielder lost the ball in the sun, allowing it to fall to the ground for a single. After a single by Tony Cianci, a Patriots error loaded the bases for Northwest with no outs.

The Jaguars were just getting started.

Four walks, two hits and two Wootton pitching changes later, Northwest had taken the lead with a six-run frame and held on for an improbable 10-9 victory on Wednesday afternoon at NHS. After taking the lead, the Jaguars had to survive their own miscue in the seventh inning. A dropped fly ball gave Wootton runners at second and third with one out, but Northwest pitcher Matt Cononie, who came on in relief with one on and no outs, got out of the jam with a groundout and a strikeout.

The Jaguars improved their record to 5-1 despite committing at least three errors and allowing two or more runs in three separate innings.

“The baseball gods smiled down on us today because we played some awful baseball,” Northwest head coach Todd Varesco said. “We made errors that we shouldn’t make, we gave Wootton two or three innings of four or five outs, but we persevered. The win is what counts, so I’ll take it. … We got lucky today.”

While Northwest was fortunate to come out on top, Varesco gave his team credit for continuing to compete despite trailing 9-4 entering the bottom of the fifth.

“Down five runs, no one ever bowed their heads or took themselves out of the game,” the first-year varsity head coach said. “They were in the game the whole time. Ever since I coached JV and had some of those guys up there, they’ve always had that winning attitude and it hasn’t left. I give them a lot of credit because they’ve got character.”

With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, Wootton’s Damian Cruz relieved starting pitcher Greg Albertini. Cruz forced in a run by walking Northwest’s Alex Katz and allowed another run to score via wild pitch. Cruz then walked Patrick Burke to load the bases before being relieved by Pete Spiropoulos, who promptly walked Nick Siegel to force in a run.

Two batters later, Joseph Moeltner grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to one. Sophomore catcher Michael Shannon drove in the tying run by belting a hanging curve ball into left field for a run-scoring single.

“We felt confident,” Shannon said. “We know as a team no matter how much we’re down by, we’re never going to lose focus and we’re going to keep on pushing.”

Cianci gave Northwest the lead with his second hit of the inning --- a run-scoring infield single. Cianci blooped the ball between the mound and the Wootton second baseman, but the Patriots were unable to make a play.

“The whole team was excited,” Cianci said. “We had a lot of energy in the dugout and that [carried] out to the field.”

Cianci earned the win on the mound, pitching 1 2/3 hitless innings of relief. He entered the game with one out in the fifth inning and pitched out of trouble, allowing just one inherited runner to score.

“That guy has pitched out of more jams this year than I can tell you,” Varesco said. “I feel bad for the guy putting him in but I’ll tell you what, he’s done it so many times now that he’s getting used to it. He’s been clutch.”

Cianci walked the leadoff man in the seventh and was relieved by Cononie, who earned the save.

“I knew if I just threw strikes,” Cononie said, “my team would help me out.”

Shannon finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs while batting cleanup.

“He’s clutch,” Varesco said. “… He’s one of our best hitters and he’s a sophomore. He’s patient at the plate and he’s aggressive when he needs to be and he’s getting it done for us and that’s all I can ask for.”

D’Amato and Nicholas Pak each had two hits for Northwest.

The Jaguars will travel to face Whitman at 7 p.m. on Friday.