Sports
Linden Stuns UC Baseball, 3-2
With Union Catholic ahead by one at the top of the final inning, Linden comes back to win Sunday.
THE RECORDS: baseball team entered its game Sunday against Linden with a 7-2 record and four-game win streak. Linden was 2-5. The match-up was part of the Roselle Park Dad’s Club Invitational. The game, however, took place on Union Catholic’s turf field due to the heavy rain that fell Saturday night.
THE SCORE: One strike separated Union Catholic baseball team from defeating Linden on Sunday. But down by one, with two strikes and two outs in the top of the seventh and final inning, Linden senior Will Ingram, batting cleanup, hit a single off reliever Ryan Gerhart that drove-in two runs and ultimately clinched the win. After the Vikings failed to score in the bottom of the seventh, Linden won, 3-2.
Linden sophomore right-hander TJ Santiago threw a complete-game four-hitter and allowed no earned runs. His record improved to 1-1. Union Catholic junior lefty Rich Birch, 4-0, received a no-decision after allowing just one earned run in six-plus innings. Gerhart was tagged with the loss, and his record fell to 0-1.
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THE HERO: This one’s easy: Will Ingram, who hit the game-winning single.
THE QUOTES: “You have to give Linden credit for the way it came back,” Union Catholic head coach Jim Reagan said. “Linden made the plays down the stretch and we didn’t execute offensively late in the game. Plus, the two runs we scored were the result of a few Linden errors.”
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WHAT’S NEXT: Union Catholic is scheduled to host Plainfield Wednesday and then play at Summit Thursday in 4 p.m. Union County Conference-Mountain Division clashes. Saturday’s home game against St. Mary’s of Elizabeth has been moved to April 25 at 12:30 p.m.
UNION CATHOLIC IN DAD’S CLUB INVITATIONAL: Union Catholic is now 0-3 in Dad’s Club Invitational games. The Vikings lost to Madison 6-4 in 2009 and to J.P. Stevens 11-0 in 2010, with last year’s game also being moved to UC because of rain.
ROSELLE PARK DAD’S CLUB INVITATIONAL GAME
AT UNION CATHOLIC
LINDEN (3-5) 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 – 3 6 3
UNION CATHOLIC (7-3) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 – 2 4 1
WINNING PITCHER:
Linden sophomore right hander TJ Santiago (1-1).
LOSING PITCHER (in relief):
Union Catholic senior right hander Ryan Gerhart (0-1).
DOUBLES – Linden: TJ Santiago. Union Catholic: None.
TRIPLES – Linden: None. Union Catholic: None.
HOME RUNS – Linden: None. Union Catholic: None.
