KP Baseball Takes Loss In Extra Innings Against Mansfield

Two battle-tested Hockomock League rivals met in Mansfield Wednesday afternoon when the Hornets faced the King Philip Warriors. 

Both teams came into the game with something to prove, as each were coming off a loss earlier this week. As a result, the crowd was treated to two extra innings of baseball before Mansfield edged out the win on a walkoff hit by senior first baseman CJ Johnson.  It was a frustrating but satisfying win for the Hornets, who lost in a close game to the Warriors earlier this season.

The stage was set for an epic pitcher’s battle between Mansfield senior Bobby Joyce and King Philip senior Dave Silletti.  Joyce recorded four strikeouts in eight innings of work, giving up two runs on seven hits.  His biggest test came in the third inning, where the Warriors gained two hits, a walk, and a stolen base.  Joyce and the Hornet’s defense were able to hold them to just one run.

For three innings, it appeared that one run may have been enough for the Warriors to squeak away with the win.  Silletti was lights-out, holding Mansfield to just one base runner in the first five innings.  Mansfield coach Tim Graham was obviously frustrated with his team’s offensive output, yelling from the bench in the sixth that they “needed a hit, or at least something,” in order to get things going.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Hornets found some luck.  After sophomore Adam Blake reached first base on a hit, Johnson brought him home with a double with his first of two RBI to bring the game into extra innings.

Defensively, the game varied between great and unfortunate; at times it was a comedy of errors. Neither team had a hit before the third inning due to both the strong pitching on both sides and so deft defensive plays. KP’s only two base runners in those early innings did not stay on base for very long, and both became the victims of quickly turned double plays.

Later, as the wind increased, both teams benefited from defensive mistakes.  King Philip centerfielder Jake Cox was able to score from first base off of two errors.  Mansfield came back to tie the game again after the eighth inning was extended by a botched double play that should have ended the game. 

Johnson played hero again with a walk-off hit in the ninth.  Junior pitcher Craig Mallet earned the win after one inning of work.