Middletown South Rallies For Extra-Inning Win Over Cross-Town Rival Middletown North

Photo above by Sean Simmons: Markmann on the mound Friday against Middletown North

MIDDLETOWN – Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh and down to their last out with the tying run 90 feet away at third base, Middletown South starting pitcher Austin Markmann laced a RBI single through the right side of the infield scoring Tom Frandsen with the tying run.

An inning later in the bottom of the eighth, Zach Schild lined a double into the right-field corner leading off before junior first baseman Ben Porpora drilled a game-winning, walk-off single into the left-centerfield gap to score pinch runner Jeff Lewandowski for an electrifying 4-3 extra-inning win over cross-town rival Middletown North for their eighth win in a row.

“I just felt really confident up there, I was seeing the ball really well today,” Porpora said. “In BP (batting practice) before the game I was feeling really good and it just carried over into the game. I was just trying to be defensive with two strikes and I fought it off and got the barrel of the bat on it.”

Porpora also drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single up the middle bringing home Markmann -who had led off the inning with a monster shot to dead centerfield for a triple - and then pulled the Eagles to within 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out line-drive single to right field that scored Johnny Zegga from second base. Zegga hesitated on the play rounding third but slid safely under the tag beating the throw home.

“Ben was great today, he really stepped up,” Middletown South head coach Ryan Spillane said. “It’s great to see in big situations guys stepping up, raising their level of play and Ben certainly did that today.”

“We’re definitely a really deep team and we got a lot of guys (who can play) for sure,” Porpora added. “I’m just glad to be in the lineup and honestly I just got to keep playing. I know there are guys breathing down my neck to get in that lineup.”

Markmann went seven strong innings before giving way to reliever Joe McLaughlin in the top of the eighth with the game tied. The senior right-hander allowed three runs (one earned) scattering eight hits while striking out four and walking four. At the plate he was 2-for-2 including a triple and his game-tying RBI single in the seventh.

“I went up there not trying to do to much, guys on third and I was just trying to get it out of the infield,” Markmann said of plate appearance in the seventh. “I know he’s a good pitcher (Tyler Rass, who relieved starter Mike Mercier in the seventh) so I just tried to stay back and hit the ball up the middle, but fortunately I was able to hit the ball to the right side and get the run in to tie the game.”

“He’s a bulldog,” Spillane said of Markmann. “He’s our leader and he’s phenomenal and one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached.”

Ranked No.5 in the Shore Conference, Middletown North (8-6, 6-5) came into the game one of the hottest teams in the Shore. After a 0-4 start they had won eight of nine games including a 6-2 win over CBA on Tuesday.

“It’s always a really good game; they’re our cross-town rivals,” Markmann said. “They’re having a really good season and they’re a really tough team so it’s good to get two wins against them.”

Middletown South (11-2, 9-2) defeated the Lions 2-0 earlier this season so the win gives them a two-game sweep of the regular season series and for the fifth year in a row they take home the Richard Veth – Walter Woods Memorial Trophy.

Markhamm’s defense bailed him out of a would-be jam in the second inning. After surrendering a leadoff double to Seth Ziegler that bounced off the 355 mark in left-center, Garrett French lined a single down the third-base line into left field that Frandsen fielded and cut down Ziegler – who was running all the way on the play - at the plate with a perfect one-hop strike to the catcher Schild. Schild then nailed French trying to steal second with an on-the-money strike to second baseman Ryan Ruziecki for the second out and clearing the base paths for Markmann to get the final out.

“I was surprised that they sent him,” Spillane said. “I was happy to see him going with Frandsen’s arm. He was basically just touching third when Frandsen picked the ball up and he made a heck of a throw. He’s super-fast and put himself in great position to make the play on that; so that was awesome, that was huge.”

In the top of the seventh with the score 3-2, the Lions had a chance to put up an insurance run after Markmann gave up one out singles to Mercier and shortstop Cole Fluta putting runners at first and second. Markmann then induced a chopper to the mound for a 2-5 put-out at third and got Kyle Capo looking on a called third strike to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Fluta made three fabulous plays at short to rob the Eagles of two and possible three base hits getting Mercier out of the inning unscathed.

Middletown North scored a run in the fifth to tie the game 1-1 after Brendan Doherty tripled and scored on a wild pitch then in the sixth took a 3-1 lead when a two-out bases–loaded error by Zegga allowed two unearned runs to score.

McLaughlin picked up the win in relief but made things interesting. After striking out the first two batters he faced in the top of the eighth he gave up back-to-back singles putting a runner in scoring position before striking out Phil Pecherski to retire the side in dramatic fashion.

“We got everybody back pretty much from a year ago,” Spillane said of this year’s team ranked second in the Shore Conference. “We lost two starters from last year so with the experience we had from last year, and these guys a year older, we’re a little hungrier and more determined from how the year ended last year. This year we keep talking about finishing and today was a great example of it.”

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