Walk-Off Home Run Propels Gray Past Blue
10/17/2009 5:42:49 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tied 9-9 with two runners on in the bottom of the ninth inning, Corey Bass hit his second home run of the game to lift the Gray Team to a 12-9 victory over the Blue Team in the University of North Florida's annual Blue/Gray Game on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Harmon Stadium.
Bass finished the game with a pair of home runs and was responsible for six of the Gray Team's 12 runs scored. Trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning, Bass hit an RBI single to cut the deficit to just three at 5-2. Three innings later, Bass hit his first home run of the afternoon, a two-run shot to right field. With two runners on and the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, the Orlando, Fla. native hit the game-winning three-run homer.
The Blue Team was the first to scratch the scoreboard. In the top of the first inning, Blue received back-to-back doubles by Andrew Karmeris and Justin Preckajlo to take an early 1-1 lead.
Gray was able to tie the score in the bottom of the inning as David Eldredge hit a solo shot to right field.
The Blue Team took a 5-1 lead with a four-run second inning. The inning started with a walk and a single and gave Blue a pair of base runners. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position and a wild pitch plated the first run of the inning. A walk, a base hit, a second wild pitch of the inning and a hit batter scored three more runners and gave Blue a four-run edge after an inning and a half.
The Gray Team got a run back in the bottom of the third inning. A leadoff single and a walk gave Gray a runner in scoring position. A groundout moved the runner to within 90 feet of home. Bass singled to score the runner from third and cut the deficit to 5-2.
Blue increased its lead back to four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Kerry Hall led off the inning with a triple and came around to score on a balk, giving Blue a 6-2 advantage.
Gray closed the gap to within one run with a three-run fifth inning. Gray began the inning with a leadoff single and followed with a walk. Ryan Puskar doubled to score the lead runner and a wild pitch plated the second run of the inning. An RBI single by Kevin Martin cut the Blue lead to just one.
Gray took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as Bass hit his first home run of the game. Trailing 6-5, Bass hit a two-run shot to right field to give Gray a 7-6 advantage. The one-run lead didn't last long as Paul Morales hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to knot the score at seven apiece.
Eldredge gave Gray a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as he hit his second home run of the game, but Blue answered with a pair of runs in the top half of the ninth.
With the score tied at 9-9, Gray managed a pair of base runners to set up Bass' dramatic walk-off home run.
North Florida's baseball team will be back in action again on Sunday, Oct. 18, as the Ospreys take on the UNF alumni in the annual Alumni Game. Festivities begin at Harmon Stadium at approximately Noon.
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