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Woodstock Academy baseball coach Brian Murphy was thinking a little about a storybook ending.
The Centaurs had just seen Plainfield tie the game in the top of the inning and with one out, Tommy Li had singled.
Murphy decided his senior deserved the opportunity, especially since it was Senior Day. He signaled junior Doug Newton to sacrifice Li to second.
“(Eric Preston) is a competitor and I wanted him to have the chance to win the game,” Murphy said. “I thought a little bit about (former New York Yankee great Derek) Jeter’s last at-bat and it was probably Eric’s last at-bat on this field. Hopefully, it’s a moment he takes with him.”
Preston hit a hard bouncer that eluded Plainfield third baseman Bryce Carchidi and slipped past shortstop Dalton Smith into the outfield. Murphy was sending Li all the way and he crossed the plate to give the Centaurs the 5-4 walk-off victory over the Panthers Saturday.
Preston was confident that he could get the job done but also remembered that he hadn’t hit the ball all that well prior to the game-winning base hit.
He popped out in his first attempt and drove in a run with a ground out in his second before he was hit in the foot.
“I just trusted myself,” Preston said. “It was a curveball. I didn’t want to get down in the count so if it was in the zone, I was swinging. It worked out. Once it got by the shortstop, I knew Tommy was scoring.”
It will be long remembered by the senior catcher.
“It’s a huge thing on Senior Day especially against Plainfield whom I have played against since middle school; always a rival, always close games. It was good to get this win,” Preston said.
The Centaurs opened a 3-0 lead over the Panthers (7-11) in the third inning.
Senior Matt Moffitt was hit by a pitch, Li walked and Newton attempted a bunt that was popped up, but fell just out of the reach of Plainfield catcher Cole LaFleche for a single.
Preston knocked in the first run with the ground out, Luke Mathewson followed with an RBI single and Nathan John drove in the third run with a sacrifice fly.
The Centaurs made it 4-0 in the fourth when Moffitt singled, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on another error.
The Panthers tied the game up with two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh off Mathewson.
The right hander (6-3) had cruised to that point with a 1-hit, 8-strikeout performance.
Murphy said the Centaurs (10-9) didn’t exactly make it easy.
“I’m proud of the kids. We’ve lost our share of 1-run games this year and these kids keep battling and coming back. We push them as coaches and they are getting mentally tough. These are the type of games they have to get used to winning. Tip your cap to Plainfield; A great team, never gave up, but (Saturday) was our day,” the Woodstock Academy coach said.
So was May 15. Preston pitched and hit the Centaurs to a 2-1 win over Lyman Memorial.
Preston allowed just two hits and struck out six with only one walk.
He set down the final 11 Bulldog hitters in order.
Preston allowed a second inning, one-out single to losing pitcher Zach Bazzano, but he was stranded at second base when Preston struck out the next two hitters looking.
Spencer Merritt had the only other hit for Lyman Memorial, a two-out single in the third inning. The only run Preston allowed was unearned.
Pat Quealy reached on an error in the top of the fourth. He advanced on a passed ball, went to third on a fly out and scored on a second infield error.
But Preston received little in the way of support early.
The Centaurs put runners on first and second in the first inning and failed to score.
Brendan Hill singled in the second and was picked off of first.
And the topper, the Centaurs loaded the bases in the third inning on walks with one out.
They failed to score.
“(Woodstock Academy athletic director Sean Saucier) was down the left field line and I made a comment to him, asking him for the number of the witch doctor he goes to. You kind of say after that, ‘Here we go again.’” Murphy said.
Fortunately, Woodstock Academy broke through in the fifth inning.
Li reached with a two-out fielder’s choice.
Jacob Hernandez drew a walk and that brought up Preston.
“After being walked twice, which kind of sucked, I got a pitch to hit and I drove it,” Preston said. “Once I saw (Lyman rightfielder Zach Crawford) turn, I knew I was going two.”
The ball soared over Crawford’s head, scoring both Li and Hernandez and giving Preston a two-run double and the runs he needed to win.
The Centaurs weren’t so lucky May 16.
Woodstock Academy built a three-run lead early but that’s how many it trailed by at the end as Bacon Academy rallied for an 8-5 win.
The Centaurs tied the game in the bottom of the second on a double by John, a Jonathan Smith single and a Luis Miranda RBI fielder’s choice.
Woodstock Academy took the lead in the bottom of the third when Pete Spada doubled, went to third on a single by Li and, two outs later, scored on a Mathewson single.
The Centaurs made it 4-1 in the fourth when Smith (hit by a pitch) and Miranda (single) scored on sacrifice flies by Spada and Brendan Hill.
But Bacon Academy scored four times in the top of the sixth to go up by a run.
The Centaurs tied it when Smith and scored on an error.
The Bobcats put the win away with three more in the seventh.
Mathewson, Smith and Miranda all had two hits in the loss.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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