Baseball: Annunziata's walk-off tops Tuckahoe's regional final win over Port Jefferson
CROSS RIVER - Rattled? Hardly.
Maybe if it was a different team, but on a squad filled with three-sport athletes that are used to title contention and deep playoff runs, Tuckahoe players have seen it all over their athletic careers.
"(Port Jefferson) is a good team and they played well all game, we were hanging in there, but we're fighters," Tuckahoe coach Phil Treglia said. "These are three-sport athletes have have been under pressure in football and basketball."
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Down by three entering the final inning of the game, the Tigers rallied back and stunned Port Jefferson, who had been leading all throughout the game until the final moments.
In a dream situation with two runners on, Tuckahoe senior Michael Annunziata had the walk-off hit to cap off the four-run comeback, sending both runners home and punching the Tigers' ticket to the state final four with an 8-7 victory over Section 11 champ Port Jefferson in the Class C state regional final.
"I honestly didn't know that the second runner got home, I just thought, 'Oh, we're in great position now,'" Annunziata said of his game-winning hit. "Then everyone started running at me, then I was like, 'Oh wow, we won.' It was the most surreal moment I've experienced at my time at Tuckahoe, and I'm just ready to experience more of those this next week."
Port Jefferson pounced on Tuckahoe to start, striking in the first inning but then building up a 6-0 lead through three innings.
The Tigers responded with a three-run frame in the bottom of the fourth inning, thanks to a two-run double by Jackson Snyder and an earlier RBI from Annunziata. However, the Royals were still well in front.
Both teams traded runs, and after retiring the Royals in order in the top of the seventh, the Tigers were faced with a do-or-die situation entering their final turn at the plate.
"This is it, if we don't capitalize here it was over, and we knew that," Annunziata said of the message entering the final inning. "It's a lot on your shoulders that your senior season could be over and your high school career could be over, but we got a lot of guys that have a lot in them. We showed up."
A couple of miscues by Port Jefferson helped give Tuckahoe two runners on early, and Connor Brice delivered a RBI single to help start the rally.
Snyder added another RBI, right before Annunziata was able to deliver the game-winning heroics and now, the Tigers are headed to the state final four.
"I'm so proud of these kids," Treglia said. "Their parents are here, the community's here cheering them on and keeping their spirits up. This is what Tuckahoe is all about. Hats off to Port Jeff, they're a great team and a great opponent."
What it means
Tuckahoe made it back to the Class C regional final for a second straight year, but it was able to get over the hump and advance in dramatic fashion to reach the NYSPHSAA Class C final four at Binghamton next week.
Player of the game
Michael Annunziata, Tuckahoe: A standout on the gridiron, Annunziata came up in a big spot on the baseball diamond to help top off the Tigers' comeback. He finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk.
By the numbers
Tuckahoe (15-9) — Jackson Snyder went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored. Connor Brice and John Benke each had a hit and a RBI. Jacob Liberati and Jax Colacicco each had a hit and scored a run. Connor Brice (three innings, two earned runs on two hits and three walks) and Frank Loiacono (two innings just one hit allowed) pitched the final five innings and helped stabilize things on the mound.
Port Jefferson (14-10) — Natti Mullen pitched the first 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Kyle Erickson pitched the remainder of the game, with three earned runs allowed. Frank D'Elia had a double and three RBI. Frank Andriani went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Evan Raymond was 1-for-1 with a RBI.
They said it
"We're so happy for these kids," Treglia said. "You could see the fight in them, never getting down, staying in the game and they had a quiet confidence that we would have a chance at the end. These kids just made the plays in the seventh inning, hit the ball solid and we just won."
"We looked at each other and just said, 'Why not?'" Annunziata said. "All year it's been Tuckahoe was good last year, and this year is kind of a down year, so all year we were saying why not us? No one's going to pick us, so let's just do it. That's what we're doing now."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Baseball: Tuckahoe rallies to beat Port Jefferson in regional final
