Walk Off Wild Pitch Helps No. 8 Prince George's Baseball Split With Garrett

LARGO, Md. – Siri-Jacob Ramirez (Orlando, Fla./Cenapec [Dominican Republic]) scored on a wild pitch to give eighth-ranked Prince George's Community College a 5-4 walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh of the nightcap against Garrett College in Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (MD JUCO) baseball action on Sunday. The Lakers won the opener, 8-4.

After the Owls (26-11-1, 10-10-1 MD JUCO) tied the game at 4 with single runs in the fifth and the sixth, Ramirez was hit with the pitch to start the bottom of the seventh. The big tall catcher then stole second to get in scoring position with no outs. The Lakers (21-27, 6-12 MD JUCO) looked to be getting out of the jam after a short fly out to center and a groundout that moved Ramirez to third. With Kilian Bloat (Liberty, N.Y./Liberty) batting with an 0-1 count, the next pitched bounced near the plate and high off the backstop to allow Ramirez to scurry home with the decisive run. Ramirez posted a hit and two runs scored on the afternoon.

Brandon Crosby (Richmond, Va./Atlee, Mechanicsville) recorded three hits, two runs scored, three stolen bases and an RBI on the day while Bay To (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann) recorded three hits, two RBIs and a run scored. Dwayne Coleman (Lothian, Md./Southern) had two hits and an RBI, and Quentin Rohrbaugh (Largo, Md./Sherando [Va.]) posted two hits, a run scored and an RBI in the opener.  

Cody Hammond paced Garrett with four hits, three RBIs and a run scored while Aaron Shinn posted three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs on the afternoon, and Zach Seibel tallied two hits, two runs scored and an RBI in the second game.

It seemed like every time Prince George's scored the Western Maryland program had an answer in the first 11 innings played on Sunday. The Owls then scored the final three runs in the nightcap to come away with the victory and earn the twinbill split.

After the Lakers retook the lead in the fourth 4-2, Prince George's began chipping away at the deficit.

The Owls got a run in the fifth to trim the margin to 4-3. Crosby walked and stole second and moved to third on Coleman's groundout. To plated Crosby with an RBI single through the right side. The squad would load the bases with two outs, but a strikeout ended the threat with the Largo team down one run.

A run in the sixth would tie the game at 4 all thanks to the legs of Jared Davis (Largo, Md./Bayside [Va.]). He walked, stole second and moved to third on an error on the play and touched home on a balk to square the score. Ramirez then made his way around the bases after being hit with the pitch in the seventh to score the game-winning run on a wild pitch.

Garrett jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the nightcap after scoring a run in each of the first two innings. Hammond doubled home the first run of the game in the first while Shinn plated the run in the second on a run-scoring single.

In the third, Prince George's tied the game. To started the two-run rally with a solo homerun to center for his fourth homer in the last seven games and tie for the team lead with seven round trippers on the year. Ramirez then doubled to center and came around to score on an error to tie the game at 2.

The Lakers responded right back in the fourth with a Seibel solo homer and a second run coming home on an error to reclaim a two-run advantage. The Owls then scored a run in each of the final three innings to rally for victory.

Thomas Decker III (Grahamsville, N.Y./Tri-Valley) earned his first win of the year after pitching the seventh.

Garrett won the opener 8-5 thanks to a five-run sixth inning.

After Prince George's scored three times in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead, three errors aided the Lakers to post five runs in the sixth to take the lead they would not relinquish.

Tyler Dobie started the five-run stanza with an RBI single. After the second run of the inning touched home on an error, Shinn doubled home a run and the fourth run of the frame scored on a wild pitch before Zarek Simkovich plated a run on a double for an 8-4 advantage.

The Owls got a run back in the sixth. Bloat walked and came around to score on Rohrbaugh's RBI double to right center to cut the margin to 8-5, but could get no closer.

Prince George's jumped out to the early lead in the opener with a run in the second after Dakota McFadden (Largo, Md./Heide Trask [N.C.]) drilled his sixth homerun of the season to right field for a 1-0 edge.

A three-run third inning handed Garrett a 3-1 lead. The first run scored on an error before Hammond smacked a two-run double down the left field line for a two-run advantage.

The Owls answered with three runs in the fifth to retake a one-run margin. Rohrbaugh led off the inning with a double to right center and Thomas Thorgersen (Largo, Md./Forest Park [Va.]) singled and moved to second on an error to put both runners in scoring position. After Crosby knocked in Rohrbaugh on an opposite field RBI single, the nation's stolen base leader stole second and then Coleman plated Thorgersen on an RBI groundout to tie the game at 3. To momentarily gave Prince George's a 4-3 lead on a sacrifice fly to score Crosby, but the Lakers responded with a five-run sixth and went on for the win.

McFadden took the loss for the Owls despite recording nine strikeouts on the afternoon.

The Owls, who has been in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III rankings in three of the last four weeks, have won nine of their last 11 games and 16 of their last 22 games while reaching 20 victories in a campaign for the first time in 20 years.

Prince George's, who will host the NJCAA Division III Region XX Tournament on May 12-14, concluded its regular season home schedule. The Owls will play its final five regular season games on the road, starting with a doubleheader at the College of Southern Maryland on Tuesday. Game time is 2 p.m.