Bulldogs Stun South Side, Win 5-4 in Extra Innings

The Hewlett Bulldogs ended its season with a dramatic, extra-inning 5-4 win over Conference A-II champs South Side on Wednesday via a walk-off RBI single by senior George Josiah in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Bulldogs stormed the field after the walk-off win, and head coach Andy DeBernardo said his team finally played up to its potential.

"I told them, 'What took so long?' Seventeen games and now they decided we might want to play some ball?" he joked. "It was unbelievable, everyone contributed in one way or another."

After leading the entire game, South Side fought back down 4-2 in the top of seventh with two runs off Bulldogs ace Spencer Prusak to tie the game at four and send it to extra innings. But there was no rally in the eighth for the Cyclones, and Hewlett's George Josiah played the role of the hero in his last game as a Bulldog.

“It was pretty nerve wracking,” Josiah said of batting with the game-winning run at third with two outs. “But I took it easy and good things happen when you wait. We had a rough season, but it felt great to win the last game of my senior career.”

Hewlett's starter Lyle Alper pitched a six-inning gem, throwing 95 pitches while surrendering two runs on six hits. The Cyclones didn't get their first run until the fifth inning, and it was South Side who couldn't get the clutch hit with runners in scoring position. The Cyclones had runners on in the first three innings, but Alper wiggled out of every jam.

“Lyle Alper was amazing today,” DeBernardo said. “He pitched lights out.”

Hewlett scored on South Side starter Andrew Talbot in the second courtesy of an RBI groundout by Russ Schneider (1-for-4, RBI). Senior Ross Kleinrock (1-for-4, RBI) drove in another run in the third, and Josiah (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) drove in Jake Miller with an RBI single in the fourth to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.

South Side finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth after James Howard (2-for-2, RBI, 2 BBs) drove in Joe Geraci with an RBI single to center to cut Hewlett's lead to 3-1. In the sixth with two men on, South Side's David Hawley hit a soft liner to third, but it ricocheted off Miller's glove, allowing Talbot to score to slice Hewlett's lead to one.

Hewlett added another run in the sixth off Miller's RBI triple to increase its lead to 4-2. DeBernardo called on Prusak to pitch the seventh, but South Side scored twice off the ace to tie the game at four. In the bottom of the eighth with one out, Griffin Wagner gave up back-to-back singles to give the Bulldogs hope. After Schneider grounded out, Josiah laced a 2-1 fastball down the right field line for the walk-off win.

“This caps a very wacky season,” DeBernardo said. “They played their hearts out and that's all I can ask for.”