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NEWTOWN – It took four-and-a-half hours to play eight innings last Friday.
It took just over 15 minutes to play one when the SOL showdown pitting Neshaminy and Council Rock North resumed on Wednesday with the score deadlocked 14-14.
The drama ended quickly when – with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth - Dave Pine lined a single to right field, giving Rock North a dramatic 15-14 win and, more importantly, the coveted National Conference crown.Pine found himself at the bottom of a wild pile-on at first base as the Indians celebrated the league title and potential top seed in the upcoming District One AAAA Tournament.
“As a senior, it’s the best way to go out,” said senior Nick Donofry, who worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win. “You can’t even put it in words.
“We just have a great group of guys, and going into the season, we knew the potential we had. It’s just great to know we finished the season off on a good foot.”
“Especially after our last game against Neshaminy when we lost Dan Denton,” added Mike Tentilucci. “He dislocated his kneecap during that game, and obviously, it was a big blow to our lineup, but he has a big presence on the bench.
“It’s been big to come back after that and finish off the season with the five or six wins we’ve had since then.”
Denton, who batted cleanup, was the Indians’ top offensive weapon. The Indians are 5-0 since their big gun was sidelined.
“Losing him in the four hole created a little bit of a void, but you can see the guys really helped absorb that,” coach Dan Kusters said. “We had a talk after the Neshaminy loss when Dan went down, and we told our guys that we’re not trying to replace Danny Denton – you can’t replace a guy of that stature.“The whole concept was that the compound effort of everybody would put us where we need to be.”
Both teams took the field on Wednesday recognizing the stakes – a conference crown and the top seed in the district playoffs for the winner.
According to Donofry, who took the mound for the Indians, staying focused was key.
“You really can’t listen to anything that’s going on,” he said. “You can’t hear any of the benches. You really have to be zoned in – just you and the catcher – and know your fielders are going to make the plays.
“You just have to go out there and throw strikes.”
The Redskins put a pair of runners on board in the ninth, but they could not capitalize.
In the bottom of the inning, Jesse Goldberg drew a leadoff walk, and Tentilucci – with two strikes – did his job, laying down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Goldberg to second.
“Mike Tentilucci is an exceptionally good ball player,” Kusters said. “He prides himself in the small nuances of the game, so for him to miss the first two bunts – I had confidence he could get it down, so we called for it with two strikes.”“I had a feeling I was going to get (the bunt sign) with two strikes because with a guy on first and no outs, you’ve got to get that guy over,” Tentilucci said. “It was a little nerveracking when I got it, knowing that any strike – whether it be a curveball or a fastball, I have to get it down, and I have to get it fair.
“In that situation, you have to get the bunt down. I’m just happy that I got it down and did my job.”
With a base open, the Redskins elected to give Ryan Hartley an intentional free pass.
“We kind of knew they might walk Ryan Hartley, but you still have to play according to the odds,” Kusters said. “Even if they walk Hartley, Tim Filer is hitting over .400 on the year, and Dave Pine has been on fire the last 10 days to two weeks.
“We felt pretty confident that regardless how that played out after we bunted him to second that we’d be in a good position to do well.”
A walk to Filer loaded the bases and set the stage for Pine, who delivered the game winner.
For the Indians, the emotions were far different this time around than last year when they lost the league crown on the final day of the season when they fell to Council Rock South.
“This is an unbelievable feeling,” said Filer, who along with Donofry was a member of the championship basketball team last winter. “For both teams – in basketball, it came down to the wire too, and for baseball, having the delay made it more interesting, made it more passionate.“The drama was always building, the tension was always there. We didn’t know what to expect but we wanted to win.”
The Indians’ success, according to their coach, didn’t just happen.
“You take a look at the commitment the guys have offered - these guys have been working since last fall,” Kusters said. “They’ve been working hard in the weight room. They’ve been working hard doing different training and just working hard on the game of baseball. I think it’s a testament to the effort they put forth.
“It’s also a reflection on the senior leadership we had. When your seniors don’t quit, especially when there’s adversity, it really sets the backdrop for your team to come together and unify. That’s the sign of a true leader and a true winner. The seniors did a great job this year."
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