Walk-Off Euphoria for Chatham Baseball

In a game filled with myriad twists and turns, it was still the finish Chatham Head Coach Douglas Chambers expected.

The Mendham and Chatham boys' baseball teams went back and forth during their game Wednesday at Chatham High School, each seeming to score close to at will throughout the contest. The game remained close throughout, however, and Chambers knew that he had a wild card in his pocket—the home field advantage that allowed the Cougars to bat last.

"Whoever was going to hit last was going to win," Chambers said.

Right he was. Senior third baseman Kevin Falconi capped the thrilling game with a single to right field in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Brandon Magill and James Damato to give the Cougars a 13-12 victory and touching off a mob scene at home plate.

Falconi came to bat with one out in the seventh with runners at first and second, but the two runners eventually moved up to second and third on a ball in the dirt.

"I wanted to get it to a tie at first," he said. "It turned out to be a win."

The scoring started early and often. Mendham scored three quick runs in the first off doubles by Justin Sawka and Danny Vallachi, but the Cougars quickly answered, getting back two of those runs in the first inning and one in the second to pull even with the Patriots.

Mendham would score two more runs off of senior starter Gio Casale before the Cougars took their first lead of the game. A balk and several errors by Mendham in the bottom of the third allowed the Cougars to pull even, and after the Patriots inserted pitcher James Morsch to replace starter Kevin Farley, junior shortstop Brian Ballard hit a two-run double to give the Cougars a 7-5 lead.

But the teams continued to go back and forth. Mendham scored two more in the top of the fourth to tie the game, but a bases-clearing double by senior Kevin Giannattasio in the bottom of the inning put Chatham up 10-7.

But things came undone in the top of the sixth for Chatham. Mendham scored five runs in the inning to retake the lead, the final two coming on doubles by Danny Vallachi and pinch hitter Christian Kachmar. The Cougars got one back in the bottom of the inning but a double play turned expertly by Mendham first baseman Nick Maguire with the bases loaded—he threw home to catcher David Gionco, who then threw to first—ended the threat.

A clutch pitching performance from southpaw Brendon Kaufman in the top of the seventh—he mowed down the Patriots in order, something that didn't happen very often throughout the game—set the stage for Falconi's heroics. The team bullrushed home plate after the game to greet Damato, who scored the game's winning run off of pitcher Danny Dessel. Dessel had just been inserted into the game.

After the game, as the team continued to celebrate around him, Falconi happily smiled, looking around at his teammates.

"What a rush," he said.

The Cougars (2-1) will face Hanover Park in an away game at 4 p.m. on Friday.