Outlaws walk off with victory to end race for Mayor's Cup

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July 20, 2012

Outlaws walk off with victory to end race for Mayor's Cup

Johnson's bases-loaded single clinches 3-2 win over Hawkeyes in 10th

By Greg Klein Contributing Writer The Daily Star Fri Jul 20, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

ONEONTA _ It took an extra inning, but Zac Johnson got a second chance to win it all for the Oneonta Outlaws on Thursday night.

One inning after his high flyball over the right field pole at Damaschke Field was ruled foul, Johnson drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning to give the Outlaws a 3-2 walkoff victory over the Cooperstown Hawkeyes in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

Johnson's single down the right-field line came on a two-strike pitch by reliever Coleman Barron with two outs and clinched the Mayor's Cup title for Oneonta, which holds a 6-2 lead over the Hawkeyes with three games to play in their regular-season series.

Johnson said he thought the game was over in the bottom of the ninth, though.

"I thought it was a fair ball," he said of the leadoff shot in the last of the ninth that field umpire Dylan Cleaveland called foul.

Had it been fair, Oneonta would have walked off with a 2-1 victory. Instead, Johnson drew a walk and was erased on a 6-4 fielder's choice.

"It was high over the pole, and I am sure the umpire thought he was making the right call," Johnson said. "It was the kind of thing where if you asked 10 people if it was fair or foul, it would have been split, 5-5."

The last-place Hawkeyes (11-26) opened the 10th with an unearned run against Oneonta reliever Jeremy Rhoades. Quinn Pippin walked, moved to second on a bunt by Bobby Guerra and completed his trip around the bases after Patrick Hyde singled to left field. The ball got past a charging Clay Holcomb, who missed a chance to get Pippin at the plate but recovered in time to throw out Hyde at third.

Barron got the first two outs in the last of the 10th _ his second inning of relief _ before walking two batters and hitting another to load the bases for Johnson. His liner plated Omar Garcia and Orlando Rivera to end it.

"You never know what's going to happen in this game," said Johnson, who finished 1-for-4. "My dad always told me you can go 0-for-3 or 0-for-4 and still win the game in your last at-bat, and that's what happened tonight."

Oneonta head coach Greg Zackrison said he thought Johnson was due for a big hit.

"Zac has been having very good at-bats," said Zackrison, whose team stands fifth in the PGCBL at 19-18 _ 9.5 games behind leader Amsterdam (28-8) but only a half-game behind fourth-place Newark (20-18). The top four teams make the PGCBL playoffs, which begin Aug. 3.

"It's funny. With two outs when they started walking people, Coach (Joe) Hughes and I kept saying, 'This is the guy we want up' whoever came up," Zackirson continued. "But when Zac came up with the bases loaded, we said, 'OK, this is the guy we really want up to win the game,' and that's what he did."

Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller and Cooperstown Mayor Jeff Katz were in attendance for what turned out to be the decisive game in the Mayor's Cup rivalry.

"We told the guys about it," Zackrison said, adding that he expects the Outlaws will have a ceremony to honor the victory Sunday when the two teams play again at Damaschke Field. "So they're aware of the rivalry. They know they won something special. Now they are anxious to see what it is they have won."

For most of the night, it looked as if Oneonta's celebration would have to wait.

Cooperstown took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and maintained it until the eighth. Guerra gave the Hawkeyes the early lead when he walked, took two bases on a wild pitch and scored on Hyde's deep sacrifice fly to left.

Oneonta tied the score in the eighth against Cooperstown starter Chris Haggerty.

Holcomb led off with a hard grounder down the third-base line that Pippin knocked down but couldn't stop. The ball bounced to the fence near third base, giving Holcomb an infield double. Holcomb took third when Sutton Whiting hit a long flyout to center and, after Cory Hunt walked, pinch-hitter Zander Wiel punched an RBI single to shallow left.

Haggerty gave up one run on four hits over eight innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Rhoades (1-0) got the pitching win, walking one, striking out one and giving up one run on three hits. Oneonta starter Brett Lisle went eight innings, allowing one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out five.

The Outlaws visit second-place Mohawk Valley (21-16) today, when Cooperstown travels to eighth-place Elmira (15-23).

Oneonta 3, Cooperstown 2

Cooperstown ..... 001 000 000 1 _ 2 7 0

Oneonta ..... 000 000 010 2 _ 3 5 1

Chris Haggerty, Coleman Barron (9,L,0-1) and Patrick Hyde. Brett Lisle, Jeremy Rhoades (9,W,1-0) and Shane Crain. 2B _ Zach Lucas (O), Clay Holcomb (O).