Beck's Gibsonesque Moment Keys Third Straight Baseball Win
Sunday, February 26, 2012
“I don’t believe what I just saw!” A two-run double by senior Brian Beck in the top of the 11th inning drove in the go-ahead runs and had his Muhlenberg baseball teammates recalling Kirk Gibson’s famous home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series. Beck’s game-winning hit touched off a six-run rally, and the Mules held on to
Muhlenberg is 3-0 for the first time since 1978, and after scoring 16 and 13 runs in Saturday’s sweep of Gallaudet, has reached double digits in runs in each of its first three games for the first time since 1927. The Mules appeared to be comfortably ahead, 7-1, entering the bottom of the sixth, but the Cardinals (2-2) took advantage of three errors to plate seven runs and take an 8-7 lead. Muhlenberg tied the score in the eighth when sophomore John Scuderi doubled and came around on a single by junior Joseph Vila. Neither team threatened in the ninth, and both put a runner in scoring position in the 10th without breaking the tie. An infield error and a hit batsman put two runners on for Beck with one out in the 11th. The first baseman, who played the entire game despite being hobbled by an injury, hit a bomb to left-center to bring in both runners. Two more runs scored on errors, and Vila capped the outburst with a two-run single. The rally fell one short of the school record of seven runs in an extra inning, set against Lake Erie in 2006, and gave the Mules a seemingly safe 14-8 lead. But again Catholic came back. A sacrifice fly and three-run homer made it 14-12 with two outs in the bottom of the inning before junior Ryan Rechten recorded the final out. Freshman Christian Ferlan earned the win in his first career appearance, throwing four innings in relief without allowing an earned run. One of his four strikeouts came with the potential winning run on third with two outs in the 10th. Freshman Matthew Lawsky pitched into the sixth and allowed just two earned runs in his first career start.
Vila drove in four runs for the second game in a row, and junior John Muha scored four.
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